Tag: m-commerce

Facebook continues adding Buy buttons to advertisements

Facebook is looking to play a larger role in the in-app retail space, introducing a “Buy” button on advertisements that are featured on its social networking site. The company sees great promise in the mobile commerce space, but has yet to find any success therein. While many consumers access Facebook and other social media sites through their mobile devices, they have yet to rely on these platforms when it comes to shopping.

Retailers may benefit from new mobile shopping features being tested by Facebook

Facebook is not only including a Buy button on all its Canvas advertisements, it is also rolling out new features that will make it easier for retailers to sell products on their Facebook pages. These features are meant to give retailers a better way to engage mobile consumers, who are beginning to shop online more regularly with their smartphones and tablets. New mobile shopping features are currently being tested in the United States and Facebook has yet to announce a point where these features will see a worldwide launch.

Instagram is already finding some success in the mobile commerce space with its own Buy buttons

Facebook’s Instagram has already become involved in the mobile commerce space. Instagram has rolled out Buy buttons on its advertisement formats, which have already proven quite effective for retailers. The social network is also relying heavily on consumer-driven discovery, with many Instagram users exposing their friends to new products that they may not have known existed before. This discovery is leading to more frequent mobile shopping among consumers, especially among those using social networks.

Mobile commerce is growing quickly in the Asia Pacific region, with social networks playing a more influential role therein

Mobile commerce is experience strong growth, particularly in the Asia Pacific region, where smartphone penetration is accelerating. In Hong Kong alone, mobile shopping has grown by 35% since 2012. Social networks are expected to play a much larger role in the continued growth of mobile commerce in the coming years, as consumers and retailers will rely more heavily on these platforms.

The company has also hired their first chief information officer, which was recently announced.

With the goal of enhancing the smartphone based presence, the Chipotle’s Mexican Grill fast-casual chain has announced that it is placing a focus on mobile ordering and payments and that it has hired its first chief information officer.

Curt Garner, formerly the CIO of Starbucks, is now the first person to take this position at Chipotle’s.

This decision to hire a CIO has come at the same time that the company intends to broaden its mobile ordering and payment offerings, two features that are becoming quite commonplace throughout the fast casual and fast food sectors. In this, Chipotle’s is far from alone, as Starbucks, Panera, Domino’s and Taco Bell – among many others – have already been major players in this space. In fact, until now, those companies have been notably more aggressive in their m-commerce efforts than Chipotle’s.

The company believes that strategic expansion of mobile ordering and payments will change the way people interact with fast food.

According to the founder, co-CEO, and chairperson of Chipotle’s, Steve Ells, “We are changing the way people think about and eat fast food.” He added that a central component of the vision of the company is their effort to offer customers the best possible restaurant experience. “As we look for ways to create efficiencies in our restaurants and improve the customer experience through the strategic use of technology, Curt’s experience and expertise make him an ideal and welcome addition to our management team.”

Before moving to Chipotle’s, Garner had held several different technology positions at Starbucks, spanning almost twenty years. That company has been crowned as the current ruler of the mobile payments segment and it has recently expanded its mobile app based ordering, as well, making it possible for customers to skip the line and simply pick up their orders.

This makes Garner a very strategic addition to Chipotle’s, which first announced that it would be rolling out mobile ordering on its Apple Watch app back in April. Not long afterward, officials from the company said they would be focusing on updating their mobile app for better efficiency.