Author: Rebecca

Mobile shopping has been growing quickly in China over the past year

Mobile shopping in China saw tremendous growth in 2014, according to a study from iResearch. The firm’s study highlights the growth of mobile commerce throughout the country, noting that many consumers have begun to shop online and in physical stores with their mobile devices. This trend is not unique to China, of course, as mobile commerce has been seeing healthy growth throughout Asia. The region is considered one of the fastest growing mobile commerce markets in the world.

Mobile spending triples in China throughout 2014, reaching new heights and encouraging retailers

According to the study from iResearch, mobile spending tripled in 2014 over what it had been in 2013. More people opted to shop with their mobile devices and they were more likely to spend larger sums of money while doing so. Mobile commerce saw 239% growth over the past year, while conventional e-commerce experienced on 49% growth. Mobile commerce accounted for 33% of all online sales made in China in 2014, a significant increase from the 14% that was recorded in 2013.

Demand for mobile commerce services is on the rise among interested consumers

China’s mobile commerce scene is dominated by a few large companies, such as Alibaba, but there are many services that are available to mobile consumers. These services make it possible to shop for and purchase products in physical stores with a mobile device. Smartphone penetration is on the rise throughout the country, which is leading to a greater demand for mobile payment services. This demand is expected to continue growing as more consumers become comfortable with mobile commerce.

Expansion of mobile commerce will continue, powered by retailer adoption and the demands coming from consumers

Mobile commerce is likely to continue expanding throughout China, powered by the initiatives that many retailers and Chinese banks are taking to engage mobile consumers. Conventional e-commerce still dominates the retail space, but mobile is beginning to play a more important role therein. Retailers are beginning to understand that if they do not engage mobile consumers, they may be missing out on promising opportunities.

Data from Stastita has revealed that consumers are enjoying m-commerce for a growing number of reasons.

Smartphones have undergone a tremendous evolution over the last few years and this has brought about the rapid creation of mobile shopping trends in which consumers buy products and services over those devices when they may previously have purchased them on desktop computers or in person.

That said, even though m-commerce has not been in existence very long, it has undergone considerable changes.

Retailers are coming to realize that consumers expect mobile shopping options to be available to them as a part of the overall buying experience. Those companies are looking for new ways to optimize their offerings to consumers who use smartphones and tablets, among other devices, so that they can find products, compare, look at pricing and availability, and even make the purchase, itself.

Mobile shopping has been found to be beneficial for shoppers and retailers alike, driving it forward.

Through m-commerce, retailers are able to better communicate with shoppers no matter where they are, regardless of whether they are at home, within their own store, or even within the brick and mortar shop of their competition. Consumers are able to more conveniently find the information that they want with regards to a product, including details about its benefits, customer reviews, and prices at various different locations.

Data from Statista has shown that there are some very specific features that consumers enjoy about being able to use mobile commerce to look for and purchase the products and services they want. They include the following:

• 59 percent appreciate the ability to shop regardless of where they are
• 47 percent like to be able to compare product prices while they are in a store
• 33 percent like the speed of mobile shopping
• 25 percent like being able to access retailer websites
• 21 percent like to use apps to shop
• 20 percent like to receive mobile marketing such as digital offers and vouchers
• 12 percent like online payments solutions
• 10 percent liked the discretion
• 9 percent enjoy the ability to pay with their devices while in store