New report shows that small retailers are becoming more invested in the digital space
A growing number of small businesses are beginning to embrace mobile commerce in the United States. Throughout the years, small businesses have been relatively slow to embrace e-commerce on any kind, partly due to the costs involved in doing so. Over the past few years, however, many retail businesses have been finding more success by engaging consumers online, especially during the holiday season. A new report from Duda, a website-building group, small businesses are growing increasingly invested in the digital space.
Small businesses expect to see 25% of their holiday sales come from online shopping this year
The report found that many small businesses in the U.S. expect 25% of their holiday sales to come from online shopping this year. Approximately 14% expect to see more than half of their holiday revenue come from e-commerce. The report provides a new perspective on the e-commerce space. Many believe that consumers generally favor shopping on sites like Amazon and eBay when they are looking for products, but consumers have shown willingness to shop directly from sites built by retailers, especially when it comes to shopping from a mobile device.
Small businesses have been slow to embrace e-commerce
Small businesses have been able to get by without having a significant online presence for years, but that may no longer be the case. Consumers are becoming more reliant on technology and many want to make use of online services that make shopping more convenient for them. This has lead to a surge in mobile commerce, as consumers have begun gravitating toward mobile-centric services. Social media is playing a role in the growth of e-commerce as well and small businesses may be able to capitalize on that trend.
Social commerce could help small retailers engage consumers more effectively
So called social commerce is becoming quite popular among consumers. This concept is relatively simple, as it involves shopping for products online using social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. Small businesses may be able to engage consumers more effectively by adopting some of the principles of social commerce.
eBay has announced that PayPal will be its own, separate company from now on
PayPal is finally being spun off as an independent company. As mobile commerce continues to grow at a rapid pace, eBay has decided to separate itself from PayPal, allowing the company to march into the future on its own. PayPal has seen tremendous growth with the help of eBay, but the company may now be prepared to take its future in its own hands. There are also rumors concerning eBay’s future, which may end up intertwined with Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba.
PayPal continues to see strong growth in the mobile sector
PayPal has seen strong growth this year already. The company’s payment volume grew by 29% over what it had been in June of 2013, reaching $55 billion in transactions processed. The company has established a strong foothold in the mobile commerce space, well ahead of other companies that were looking to do the same a few years ago. While PayPal has become one of the most popular names in the mobile payments field, the company is expected to see strong competition come from Apple, Google, and even Facebook. This time, however, it will not have the support of eBay.
Alibaba may seek to purchase eBay or PayPal
There are rumors that Alibaba, one of the largest e-commerce organizations in the world, will purchase eBay, or perhaps PayPal, within the near future. These rumors have little evidence to support their substance, but Alibaba has been known to purchase companies that have been competing with it in the digital commerce space. Whether or not eBay would agree to be acquired by Alibaba is little more than a matter of speculation currently.
Mobile payments market expected to reach $721 billion by 2017
The mobile payments market is expected to see significant growth over the next few years. A recent report from Gartner suggests that the market will reach $721 billion in valuation by the end of 2017. PayPal has a lot to gain from this growth, but the company will have to prove that it can be competitive with new mobile commerce services entering the global market.
