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Mobile commerce to reach new heights in the US

| January 25, 2013

Forrester Research U.S. Mobile Commerce ReportForrester Research predicts healthy growth for US mobile commerce

Forrester Research, a leading market research firm, has released a new report concerning U.S. mobile payments and the growth the sector is expecting to see in the coming years. Mobile commerce has begun to gain momentum throughout the U.S., largely due to the increasing number of NFC-enabled mobile devices and the rapid adoption of mobile commerce being seen among retailers. Consumers have expressed their interest and willingness to participate in mobile commerce, pushing mobile payments to reach new heights.

Report forecasts mobile payments to reach $90 billion in 2017

According to Forrester Research, mobile payments in the U.S. will reach $90 billion by 2017. The firm predicts a 48% compound annual growth rate over the next two years. The firm expects in-store mobile payments, general mobile commerce, and peer-to-peer transactions to be the driving factors behind this healthy growth. The report notes that a strong focus on mobile commerce coming from numerous companies spread across equally numerous industries is raising awareness of mobile payments among consumers. These consumers, in turn, are discovering mobile commerce services that fit their needs and make use of these services extensively.

Retail industry to play major role in growth of mobile commerce

Forrester Research expects to see significant progress made in mobile commerce come from the retail industry. Over the next five year, the firm forecasts that retailers will put more focus on mobile commerce, potentially seeing major benefits from doing so. During the 2012 holiday season, retailers saw major gains from their focus on mobile commerce, with Black Friday and Cyber Monday producing a great deal of profit for many of the country’s large retailers.

Holiday season places momentum behind mobile commerce

The success of mobile commerce during the 2012 holidays generated a great deal of momentum, encouraging retailers to continue or increase their focus on mobile consumers. While retailers are expected to face significant challenges in the years ahead, most of which will come in the form of competition with other retailers, Forrester Research expects that the industry will continue seeing positive results in regards to mobile commerce.

Amazon expands micro-transactions service

| January 25, 2013

Amazon mobile gamingAmazon expanding digital services for the game industry

Internet retail behemoth Amazon has begun expanding its digital services into the game industry, with a particular focus on mobile gaming. The Amazon Digital Games Store has become a very promising marketplace for such games, giving developers yet another avenue through which to find success in an increasingly crowded market. Amazon has announced the activation of micro-transactions through in-app purchases for the games that are part of the company’s digital store.

In-app micro-transactions will receive more support from Amazon

Mobile game developers often rely on micro-transactions to generate some kind of profit with their titles. Most mobile games are either available for free or for a very small price, making their ability to generate revenue through initial purchase very limited. In-app micro-transactions are seen as the best way for these games to find commercial success, as the majority of these transactions are very inexpensive, thus making them more attractive to gamers.

Company expands services to PC, Mac, and web-based games

The Amazon Digital Games Store has had the ability to facilitate in-app micro-transactions for some time, but Amazon has been disinclined to fully support the service across all gaming platforms. The service has typically been reserved for mobile games for the iOS and Android platforms, but Amazon has begun expanding its availability to PC, Mac, and even web-based games. Amazon expects that expanding its service to these platforms will help game developers build their businesses and reach new audiences.

Developers relying heavily on micro-transactions

Game developers often create games for a wide variety of platforms in order to engage the largest number of people possible. This can be a costly endeavor because of the fundamental differences that exist from platform to platform. Micro-transactions therefore take on a greater importance for developers, as they not only represent a way for a studio to generate profit, but also recover from the costs associated with game development.