Tag: m-commerce

Mobile commerce is still in a state of infancy, but it has become a very powerful tool for the retail industry. Despite the success that some retailers have seen in the mobile field, many other companies are not yet convinced that mobile commerce is worthwhile. These companies often consider trends in the mobile space to be little more than passing fancies that will disappear in a matter of time as consumers move on to some other interest. Mobile commerce is much more than a passing trend, however.

Over the past few years, the retail industry has found a great deal of success in engaging mobile consumers. Mobile commerce, for these retailers, is much more than a novelty; it has become a very powerful revenue stream. Barnes & Noble, for instance, has found a great deal of success with its mobile initiatives. In the recent Internet Retailer Mobile 500 report, Barnes & Nobel ranked 41 among some of the world’s leading retailers in terms of mobile commerce success.

The report shows that Barnes & Noble had a 99.35% mobile success rate, which means that the vast majority of mobile commerce activity occurring on the company’s mobile website was successful. The company has reported higher mobile sales, which add to its overall retail sales and boost its revenue considerably.

Another report from the Australian Communication and Media Authority shows that mobile payments have grown by 448% since December 2010. Consumers are becoming more likely to make a purchase from their mobile device, even when visiting a physical store. A handful of retailers are thriving because of this, while those that are unwilling to get involved in the mobile space are missing out on a major opportunity that could have dire implications for their future.

Mobile commerce has proven that it is more than just a trend. It has blossomed into something that consumers want to be a part of and, as such, is here to stay. Retailers that refuse to take advantage of the popularity of mobile commerce may risk obsolescence, as consumers are beginning to favor mobile shopping over more conventional forms of commerce.

New report shows that mobile shopping activity continues to rise throughout the US

Custora, an electronic marketing service provider, has released a new report concerning the factors that are driving mobile commerce activity in the U.S. Over the past four years, mobile payments have seen a dramatic rise, finding their way into various industries and with more people showing interest in mobile transactions. Mobile commerce has seen the majority of its growth occur in the retail industry, where retail sales from smartphones and tablets have reached $42 billion as of t he end of 2013.

E-mail is driving more activity than social media

There are many factors driving the growth of the mobile space, but e-mail is one of the most influential of these factors. One common consensus among businesses is that the best way to engage mobile consumers is through social media. While this is true to some extent, e-mail is still the best way to drive commerce activity among these consumers. According to Custora, e-mail drive 26.7% of sales on smartphones and 23.1% on tablets. By comparison, social media only drove 0.6% of sales on smartphones and 0.2% on tablets. E-mail remains one of the most powerful marketing tools available to businesses today, despite the fact that e-mail services do not have the same flare as social media platforms.

Consumers are beginning to favor tablets over smartphones

Custora’s data shows that consumers are becoming more willing to shop from their smartphones and tablets as well. Between January and March of this year, 12% of online shoppers made purchases from more than one mobile device. Shoppers are beginning to favor tablets over smartphones as well, due to the better shopping experience that these devices offer.

Smartphones may be the primary mobile commerce tool among online shoppers for some time

Currently, the iPad is the most popular tablet device for online shoppers, accounting for 79.9% of tablet commerce. Amazon’s Kindle Fire is gaining momentum, however, as more consumers begin to use their tablets to shop online. Overall, smartphones are likely to remain the primary mobile commerce tool among consumers.