Author: JT

Mobile commerce focus spikes as holidays approach

| November 25, 2013

Holiday season could be a major success for retailers thanks to mobile commerce

The way people shop is beginning to change as mobile commerce becomes more popular. Retailers have been taking note of the growing preference many consumers are adopting concerning online shopping and some have been taking steps to ensure that they can engage these consumers through their mobile devices more effectively during the upcoming holiday season. Some retailers are, however, still uncertain about the potential benefits of mobile commerce, which may mean that they will be missing out on a significant opportunity during the holidays.

Millennials are leading the mobile shopping trend

According to a recent study from comScore, a leading market research firm, some $5.8 billion in mobile transactions were recorded during the third quarter of 2013, a 26% increase over the transactions recorded during the same quarter in 2012. The study suggests that mobile purchases represent a significant portion of e-commerce revenue. Notably, a great deal of mobile commerce activity is coming from young consumers, often referred to as “millennials.”

Millennials likely to participate in mobile commerce

mobile commerce holiday seasonAccording to Google’s 2013 Holiday Shopper Intentions report, approximately 95% of millennials plan to use the Internet as a shopping tool during the holiday season. The report predicts that 88% of these millennials will be using their smartphones and tablets to shop online and purchase products. Many of these young consumers have grown quite comfortable with mobile commerce over the past year, thanks to the various mobile initiatives that have been launched by retailers and technology firms alike.

Retailers are preparing for mobile engagement

The 2012 holiday season exposed the retail industry to the promise that exists in the mobile commerce field. Since then, retailers have been working to bolster their presence in the mobile space. Many companies have launched mobile marketing campaigns that are encouraging consumers to participate in mobile commerce in the hopes of mimicking the success that they had seen during the 2012 holiday season.

New partnership seeks to grow mobile commerce in Mexico

| November 20, 2013

Companies team together to bolster mobile commerce

AnywhereCommerce, a Canadian mobile commerce firm, has entered into a new partnership with Prosa, a provider of merchant services based in Mexico. Through this partnership, the two companies will work to make mobile payments more accessible to consumers throughout Mexico and give retailers and merchants the ability to facilitate mobile commerce. The concept of mobile commerce has been growing more attractive to consumers as more people get their hands on smartphones and tablets. AnywhereCommerce and Prosa are keen to take advantage of the growing demand for mobile commerce services.

Prosa to deploy payment systems from AnywhereCommerce

Prosa will deploy AnywhereCommerce’s aCommerce Gateway platform, which is capable of accepting payments from credit and debit cards as well as mobile devices. Prosa will also be deploying a range of mobile point-of-sale devices from AnywehreCommerce. Merchants can use these systems to accept payments being made from smartphones and tablets. Both companies believe that this technology will provide merchants with more flexibility in the way they engage consumers.

Retailers have some trouble breaking into mobile commerce

Mobile Commerce Partnership - MexicoMobile commerce offers a degree of convenience that has rarely been seen in the retail field. Many retailers, however, have had problems with their adoption of mobile commerce in recent years. Several companies have failed to optimize their websites for mobile viewing, providing consumers with a poor shopping experience. Others have utilized mobile commerce platforms that are based on proprietary technology, which has limited people’s access to mobile payments in a significant way.

AnywhereCommerce services are not wholly reliant on NFC technology

The mobile commerce services offered by AnywhereCommerce can be accessible by both Android and iOS devices. This makes these services much more accessible to consumers, many of whom have been excluded from participating in mobile commerce in the past due to the lack of NFC-enabled devices. NFC technology may be one of the foundations of mobile commerce, but the technology may soon be replaced due to the fact that many consumers do not yet have access to mobile devices that are equipped with NFC chips.