Today’s businesses must not only go mobile, but must do it while keeping up with other trends.

Shopping via mobile commerce is undergoing exponential growth, and as smartphones become increasingly popular and customer awareness of how to take part in the many different forms of the sector – from information to discounts to purchasing – it is only expected to skyrocket further.

eBay and Nielsen have each released the retail trends that start with smartphones and work outward.
The latest eBay Online Business Index (OBI) has shown that approximately half of all of the participating businesses had stated that they would be optimizing their online content for mcommerce. Nearly another quarter – 24 percent – stated that they would be developing a site meant specifically for mobile, while over 20 percent said that they would be creating an app.

The reason is that consumers want to be able to interact with their favorite companies through mobile commerce.
The most recent annual Nielsen Retail and Shopper Trends Report identified a wide list of trends that represent the way that the marketplace is shifting. Top among them is mcommerce, but it is clear that many of the other trends are closely linked to this sector and must be woven into its strategies.

Among these trends are the following:

• Mcommerce – this holds the top spot because its growth and hype is simply unmatched. It is a trend that is acting like a craze, as consumers find themselves equipped with everything they need once they purchase a smartphone. eBay, itself, just experienced its 100 millionth download of its app, and has now recorded 100 million mobile listings.

• Private labels sliding – Nielsen’s report showed that there has been a slip of 0.7 percent in the overall penetration of private labels. This is especially true in the grocery sector. Branded products emphasis by top retailers has been a primary driver in this trend. It shows that price wars are fierce and that shoppers are looking for the best deal and not necessarily the store they used to automatically choose. Mcommerce can benefit greatly by this knowledge, as can those who are marketing over mobile channels.

• Price importance – the latest report from Nielsen showed that the awareness of price among shoppers has risen significantly. Two years ago, fewer than 50 percent of consumers felt that they felt confident that they knew the prices of the products that they purchased the most frequently. This leapt to 60 percent this year. Price is a key factor in purchasing decisions, particularly with the movement away from private labels. As mobile commerce is a sphere where a consumer can comparison shop among dozens, if not hundreds of different shops for the same or a similar product, prices must be competitive and easy to obtain, while value must be clearly demonstrated.

Mind Commerce publishes new study concerning SoLoMo in the mobile space

Mind Commerce, a leading mobile research firm, has been releasing numerous studies concerning the mobile space recently. One of the latest studies coming from Mind Commerce is the “Social Local Mobile (SoLoMo) Game-Play Behavior in Free2Play, Virtual Goods & Hybrid Ecosystem” report. The 46-page report documents the emerging trends of the Social, Local, and Mobile (SoLoMo) aspect of the mobile world. According to Mind Commerce, SoLoMo is becoming something that businesses and application developers may need to pay more attention to.

Demand for social games and location-based services on the rise

SoLoMo refers to a wide variety of applications that incorporate gaming with social aspects and location-based services. Social games, such as those found on Facebook, that offer content relating to a player’s physical location are a prime example of this concept. Many consumers have become enthralled by such games, largely because of the fact that these games are free-to-play. Mind Commerce suggests that SoLoMo is beginning to approach a place where it can revitalize the mobile gaming ecosystem.

Small companies may establish a strong competitive edge with SoLoMo

As more developers begin to embrace SoLoMo, they may be establishing a strong competitive edge against larger and more established companies. Larger companies may have a wider reach than independent developers, but they are also more likely to conform to traditional forms of engagement and development. Large development studios tends to produce games that do not have social aspects or those that do not include location-based services. While these companies are expected to begin adapting to meet the demands of consumers, smaller companies may have already established a significant head start.

Game industry expected to put focus on SoLoMo in 2013

The SoLoMo study from Mind Commerce is geared for social media companies, location-based service developers, and the game industry in general. These parties are likely to find some benefit in the information they can attain through the SoLoMo study. Focus on SoLoMo is expected to become much more common throughout the game industry in 2013.