Category: Mobile Commerce

Mobile payments picking up steam in the UK

| March 14, 2013

UK Mobile PaymentsUK mobile payments spark innovation and the founding of new companies

The United Kingdom is emerging as a hub for innovation in the world of mobile payments. The country boasts of high penetration when it comes to mobile technology, with a massive number of consumers having access to smartphones and tablets. Several of the country’s largest retailers, including Tesco, have begun embracing mobile payments very aggressively, making mobile commerce much more popular among British consumers. The growing popularity of mobile payments has lead to the emergence of new companies that aim to establish a formidable force in the evolving state of commerce. Droplet is one such company.

Droplet finds success in UK mobile commerce

Droplet is a mobile payments firm, which released a mobile application of the same name earlier this year. The Droplet application allows users to purchase goods and services using their mobile device. Users can transfer funds to others as well, free of charge. Droplet recently closed a successful beta testing phase for the application, wherein it saw significant success in consumer adoption. Backed by this success, the application is heading to London, where it aims to spark a commerce revolution.

Droplet sees major growth through beta testing phase

Commerce is becoming increasingly mobile-centric. Many consumers in the United Kingdom are becoming more comfortable with the concept of mobile payments, making it more likely for these consumers to make purchases directly from their smartphones and tablets. In Birmingham, where Droplet’s beta phase was focused, more than 60 merchants signed up for the firm’s services and more than 2,500 consumers downloaded the Droplet application in order to make mobile payments. In London, Droplet expects to see those numbers rise exponentially.

Mobile payments to become more attractive in London

Droplet will become more than a mobile payments platform in the coming weeks. Droplet Tools is currently in development and will serve as a platform that will enable applications developers to create customized features for merchants. Through these features, merchants will be able to leverage loyalty programs or provide consumers with special offers. The fact that Droplet is fee-free is also expected to attract a great deal of attention from London’s merchants.

Mobile commerce reaching new heights in India

| March 13, 2013

Mobile Commerce India GrowthIndia quickly becoming a hub for mobile commerce

Mobile commerce is on the rise in India. Online retail giant HomeShop18 is predicting a promising future for mobile commerce throughout India as more consumers get their hands on new smartphones and tablets. These consumers are becoming more comfortable with the idea of making purchases online, and mobile devices are becoming the ideal platform to do this. HomeShop18 anticipates that mobile commerce will contribute to more than 25% of all online shopping traffic by 2015.

Mobile device penetration growing rapidly

India is home to a massive population. Currently, approximately 70 million smartphone and tablet owners call India home, and many of these consumers enjoy shopping online. HomeShop18 expects that the number of mobile consumers will continue to grow well into the future. According to a recent report from the Internet and Mobile Association of India, more than 165 million people are expected to access the Internet through a mobile device by 2014.

Investors show strong support for mobile payments

Mobile commerce analysts in India suggest that several e-commerce companies in India have raised over $500 million in 2012 in order to make their mobile commerce services more robust. Moreover, e-commerce investments in 2012 grew to $14 billion, up from the $6.3 billion they were in 2011, showing that investors have a strong interest in the mobile commerce initiatives that many online businesses are adopting.

HomeShop18 may establish dominance in Indian mobile commerce

HomeShop18 currently boasts of two mobile applications that can be used for mobile commerce. The retailer has plans to bolster its mobile commerce services in order to appeal to a wider range of consumers in the future. Tapping into these consumers can often be a difficult task, but many Indian consumers have shown an aggressive enthusiasm for participating in mobile commerce and online shopping from the mobile device. If HomeShop18 can beat out the competition it has in the mobile commerce scene, it may become India’s leading mobile shopping platform in the near future.