Category: Mobile Commerce

When compared to a year ago at the same time, mobile shopping increased by nearly a third in the first quarter.

According to the latest IBM Online Retail Index research data, m-commerce has experienced a growth by nearly a third (31 percent) in the first quarter of 2013, when compared to its size at the same time in 2012.

The report pointed out that the growing use of tablets and customer service improvements were primary drivers.

The index states that at the moment, m-commerce is making up 17.4 percent of all online retail sales. This is a notable increase over where it was a year prior, at 13.3 percent. On the whole, spending online, in general, had increased by 20 percent within that same quarter. The index found that tablets are playing an ever increasing role as a driver of shopping over mobile.

They said that m-commerce has become more comfortable as people use iPads and other tablets.

The overall m-commerce traffic, including all devices, rose by 40 percent in the first quarter of 2013. However, among tablets, specifically, there was an increase of almost 80 percent when compared to the same time last year.

The report pointed out that “This trend reflects marketers’ ability to create a positive customer experience for consumers shopping on their iPads and Kindles, by designing for the finger and making it easier for customers to browse via their mobile devices.” The results presented in this report align quite closely with other similar research that is also pointing to tablets in their growing importance for m-commerce.

Earlier in 2013, there was a forecast issued by eMarketer which stated that transactions over tablets made up 57 percent of the almost $25 billion that occurred over m-commerce in 2012. Based on that, they expected the figure to rise to reach 62.5 percent in 2013. This is also interesting as the penetration of tablets is at less than half of that of smartphones. Tablets are currently owned by approximately 20 percent of people in the United States, whereas it is believed that more than 50 percent are already the owners of smartphones.

Starbucks sees strong potential in mobile payments

Starbucks has seen a significant degree of success through its mobile payments initiative. The company, which began embracing mobile payments only a few short years ago, continues to see more consumers show interest in the idea of mobile commerce with each passing day. The company now reports that it processes more than 3 million mobile transactions every week, and expects that this number will continue to grow as the company begins to put more focus on innovation in order to continue capturing the favor of tech-savvy consumers.

Company continues to focus on innovation

Mobile payments are quickly becoming a staple for Starbucks, but they have not yet become the company’s lifeblood. The company has been able to offer consumers a more convenient and efficient way to pay for products, but Starbucks is beginning to look for ways to improve the mobile payments experience. As such, the company has a goal to further bridge the gap between the physical world and the digital world.

Starbucks aims to connect physical and digital worlds

Bridging this gap can be somewhat difficult given the vague nature of the separation of these two realms. Starbucks is keen to create a deeper experience for consumers when it comes to mobile payments and shopping in physical stores. Part of this involves providing consumers more information concerning certain products and giving them the opportunity to engage in this information in a dynamic fashion. The company also has plans to put emphasis on its line of health and wellness products, and will offer these products through a variety of mobile initiatives in the future.

Mobile payments find support throughout retail industry

Mobile payments have been well received by Starbucks and its consumers. Starbucks is not the only company showing a strong interest in mobile payments. Much of the retail industry has become enthralled with the concept of mobile commerce. This interest is largely driven by the increasing number of consumers with smartphones and tablets who are interested in a new form of commerce.