Author: JT

Mobile commerce growing among consumers

| April 7, 2013

Mobile Commerce Consumer GrowthStudy highlights the continued growth of mobile commerce

Affiliate Window, a leading performance marketing network and analysis firm, has released its latest study concerning the state of mobile commerce. According to Affiliate Window, mobile commerce continues to see strong growth across several sectors, especially in regards to retail. Consumers are becoming more comfortable with purchasing products using little more than a mobile device. The study indicates that mobile sales are seeing some turbulence, but more consumers are using their mobile devices to shop online.

Consumers becoming more apt to purchase and shop with their mobile devices

According to the study, 14% of all sales made in the retail sector came from mobile devices, approximately 5% of which came from smartphones. Mobile traffic is on the rise as more consumers begin to favor shopping with their mobile devices rather than visit physical stores. Even those that do visit physical stores are beginning to use their mobile devices more frequently to search for products online. Approximately 12% of online traffic came from smartphones.

Mobile traffic is on the rise

In March of this year, Affiliate Window recorded its one millionth mobile sale this year. Last year, the firm did not reach this milestone until August. The firm notes that mobile  traffic has increased by 3 times over what it had been in March 2012, showing that consumers are becoming more comfortable with the prospects of mobile shopping. The firm recorded the highest mobile traffic volume it has ever seen in March of this year, much of which came from consumers using iOS devices.

Security concerns begin to waver

Consumers are becoming more comfortable with the concept of mobile commerce, especially where it involves shopping for products they are interested in. Mobile commerce is being considered a more convenient option for consumers, since many people already have access to smartphones and tablets. Consumers appear to be putting their concerns with mobile commerce security aside, favoring the convenience that mobile commerce services offer over the potential threat of having their financial information stolen by malicious parties.

Mobile games help UK industry find success

| April 4, 2013

Mobile Games UK ReportReport highlights importance of mobile games in UK game industry

The United Kingdom may soon serve as a strong example of what the future of the game industry will look like in the coming years. TIGA, a UK trade association representing the game industry, has released a new report highlighting the various aspects of the UK game sector. The report shows that much of the market is comprised of independent developers that have a strong focus on mobile games rather than traditional console games. Many of these developers believe that mobile games are undoubtedly the future of gaming.

A focus on mobile helps several studios find success

The report, which is titled “Making Games in the UK Today: A Census of the UK Developer and Digital Publishing Sector,” shows that more than half of the development studios in the country were founded only four years ago. Despite the relative youth that these companies have when compared to others in the game industry, they now account for 60% of the UK market. These independent studios account for 83% of the independent games that were released in the UK between 2011 and 2012, many of which were mobile games.

Mobile games are gaining traction throughout the market

The report shows that approximately 37% of all studios in the United Kingdom are making mobile games currently, this is up from the 19% that were focused on mobile development in 2010. Several of these development studios are focused exclusively on mobile games, forsaking console games entirely. This may be due to the fact that mobile games are typically less expensive to develop than their console counterparts. Mobile games also offer promising profit opportunities for developers that are not generally seen on other platforms.

Independent developers still face significant challenges

TIGA notes that the UK game sector is young, independent, and highly focused on the mobile space. Strong smartphone and tablet sales have helped encourage developers to focus more heavily on mobile games. Despite the strong performance these studios have seen over the years, TIGA notes that many face significant financial challenges. The report shows that approximately 21% of the studios that were founded between 2010 and 2012 have closed their doors due to lack of finances.