Author: JT

Mobile commerce heating up from the purchases of the minority of consumers

While the stats from smartphone and tablet revenues continue to head upward, most shoppers still don’t m-buy.

The results of a new mobile commerce survey are in, providing a considerable amount of new insight into the habits of consumers that buy products and services over their smaller screen devices such as smartphones and tablets.

While the trend is definitely growing, it still appears to be driven by the minority of shoppers.

Also interesting, according to this Fits.me mobile commerce survey, were that 97 percent of the clothing purchases that were made by consumers were from home or work. Only 1 percent of the respondents said that they purchased the clothing while in-store using the WiFi from that location. The survey involved the participation of 1,027 smartphone or tablet using consumers and investigated their habits and opinions toward online shopping and ecommerce as a whole

It found that mobile commerce accounted for about 30 percent of clothing purchases made online.

Despite that fact, only 15 percent of the participants in this study had used their smartphone or tablet to make their previous online purchase overall. Among all of the respondents, only three had used their data plan to complete tMobile Commerce and Consumershe most recent transaction online.

According to the Fits.me chief exec and co-founder, Heikki Haldre, “This survey gives the transactional statistics published in other reports some much-needed context about the shoppers that are driving those figures.”

This is important as previous recent mcommerce surveys have made it look as though the channel is taking off like a runaway freight train, but it never actually gave any indication as to who the shoppers are and which ones are actually behind those impressive looking figures. As it turns out, it is a smaller crowd than had previously been assumed.

The research also showed that among the respondents, 85 percent had used a desktop or a laptop computer to complete their most recent purchase online. Eleven percent had used a tablet, while online 4 percent had used a smartphone, and a mere 1 percent used one of shop’s in-store kiosks for completing their most recent online order.

Mobile marketing is on its way to AR glasses

These augmented reality wearable technology devices will be the next ones hit by ads and promotions.

Hipcricket, an expert in mobile marketing engagements, has recently revealed that its AD LIFE platform will now be supporting text messaging and website rendering for wearable technology devices, such as Google Glass and other types of augmented reality glasses.

The AD LIFE platform from the company is already being used by many different brands.

The platform is being used by international and domestic agencies and brands for the purpose of powering their mobile marketing campaigns. The goal is to enhance the interaction between companies and consumers through the devices that these shoppers are using the most. Though this had previously been smartphones, it has expanded over the last while to include tablets, and now wearable technology, as well. The platform offers advertising and analytics, all in one place.

Mobile marketing for wearable technology is becoming increasingly important as these devices take off.

According to Canalys, this year will be the year in which wearable technology will suddenly explode among consumers, with an estimated 8 million shipments of smartwatches headed in our direction. It was also estimated by that firm that this number will skyrocket next year to 23 million units, and that by 2017, that will have reached 45 million units.Mobile Marketing - Augmented Reality

Hipcricket has explained that wearable tech will be including everything from the iWatch, which is rumored to launch at some point this year, as well as the already existent Google Glass, and a range of different fitness and medical devices. This notable shift in consumer behaviors is expected to reflect the same one that occurred when there was a movement away from desktops toward smartphones and tablets. Now consumers are thinking even smaller and more convenient than those already small screens.

The Hipcricket chief operating officer, Doug Stovall explained that “We believe mobile will evolve to become seamlessly integrated with our everyday actions in the form of wearable technology.” For that reason, the company is ensuring that its platform keeps in line with the consumer preferred devices and will gear its mobile marketing capabilities in those directions.