Tag: mobile commerce news

The day after Christmas, has shown to be very important to shopping in the United Kingdom, yet again.

Boxing Day, the day that follows Christmas, has long been a very important shopping day for finding great discounts and sales, and IBM has revealed that this tradition continued, but this year it was breaking records in UK mobile commerce.

The IBM Digital Analytics Benchmark showed that sales skyrocketed compared to 2012.

Among the findings from IBM in its Digital Analytics Benchmark was that a great deal of the Boxing Day shopping on retail websites came from UK mobile commerce locations. This suggests that smartphones and tablets are rapidly becoming one of the preferred methods of browsing and comparison shopping for British consumers. In fact, smartphones were found to be the most popular device for browsing for products and sales.

Though online shopping is still dominated by PCs, UK mobile commerce is rapidly growing.

While smartphones were preferred for browsing, among mobile devices, it was tablets that played the most important role for sales, themselves. That said, consumers still preferred to look around on those gadgets but make their actual purchases either on their laptops and desktops, or in person within the shops, themselves.

IBM’s data showed that on December 26, there was an increase in online sales by 40.4 percent when compared to the same date in 2012. Of all online traffic, smartphones and tablets represented 58 percent, that day, which was a massive 42 percent increase over the year before. The sales that were actually completed over those devices experienced a growth rate of 63 percent year over year. Among the total of online sales on that day, they represented over 45 percent in the United Kingdom.

The average order value that was placed on smartphones was £78.06, whereas the average order value for purchases made over tablets was slightly higher at £83.55. This indicates that people may be more comfortable spending slightly more when using devices with larger screens. When it came to actual online traffic overall smartphones represented just slightly more than tablets at 29.9 percent as opposed to 28 percent, respectively.

Mobile payments firm launches new partnerships

Monitise, a developer of mobile payments technology, has announced that it has secured a partnership with a leading bank in the United Kingdom as well as extending a commercial contract with one of the country’s leading financial organizations. The company notes that the demand for mobile payments technology has been growing dramatically over the past year. With 2013 over, many retailers and other businesses have been exposed to the benefits of mobile commerce and these organizations are showing their eagerness to embrace the mobile space in 2014.

Mobile commerce continues to grow

Mobile payments are not only growing more popular among businesses. Consumers have become quite interested in mobile commerce and the demand for new services is beginning to reach new heights. Companies are beginning to feel the pressure to accommodate consumer demand or risk losing ground to their competitors that are more mobile-conscious. Mobile commerce is growing at a quick pace due to the importance smartphones and tablets have come to play in the daily lives of consumers.

Monitise has high hopes for 2014 and beyond

Monitise expects to see its revenue increase by 50% in 2014 as it forms new partnerships in Europe and the U.S. The firm expects 2014 and 2015 to be major years in terms of mobile commerce, but also notes that it will likely see fierce competition emerge onto the scene. Companies like Square, which currently only operates in North America, have established a strong presence and major retail organizations like eBay and Alibaba are beginning to take mobile payments more seriously. While Monitise is behind the technology that is used by several large brands interested in mobile commerce, it is just one among several similar firms that are vying for attention.

Uncertainty lingers in the mobile commerce space

The future of mobile commerce is often painted as bright and fortuitous, but there are still many uncertainties and risks that exist in the sector. Security threats abound as malicious groups become more focused on mobile commerce and stealing financial information from businesses and consumers alike. The capabilities of mobile commerce platforms and how they provide a positive experience to consumers is also called into question quite frequently as retailers and other groups continue to struggle with their adaptation to the mobile space.