Tag: mobile commerce news

Groupon continues expansion into mobile commerce sector

| November 14, 2013

Mobile commerce has become a major interest for Groupon

Daily deals provider Groupon has been showing a strong interest in mobile commerce recently. The company specializes in providing consumers with special offers that come from retailers, restaurants, and other such businesses. The deals and coupons are meant to entice consumers, but Groupon had primarily been focused on those using stationary computers in the past. As mobile commerce becomes a more prominent part of society, the company is beginning to put more focus on the mobile sector.

Groupon acquires Ticket Monster

Groupon has been making an effort to establish a strong presence in the competitive mobile commerce field in recent months. The company has now made a bold move on this front with its acquisition of South Korea’s Ticket Monster, which is a daily deals provider similar to Groupon. Ticket Monster represents more than $800 million in annualized billings, much of which comes from mobile commerce. South Korea has become a hub of activity as far as mobile commerce is concerned, largely due to the high smartphone penetration seen throughout the country. The experience that Ticket Monster has gleaned in the market may help Groupon develop a stronger foothold in the mobile sector.

Consumers are becoming more mobile

Mobile Commerce - Groupon ExpandingE-commerce remains a strong interest with many consumers, but more people are opting to shop via their mobile devices rather than stationary computers. Smartphones and tablets allow for a more convenient shopping experience, especially for those that travel frequently. Even those that do not travel are beginning to use their mobile devices to shop rather than visit physical stores. It is for this reason that retailers are beginning to take mobile commerce more seriously, with some going so far as to develop their own mobile payments platforms.

Competition in high in the mobile commerce space

Groupon may confront difficulty with its plans to expand into the mobile sector. Mobile commerce is awash with a wide variety of start-ups that are seeking to gain the attention of consumers. Several large technology, telecommunications, and financial service firms have also entered into the mobile commerce arena, increasing the competition that exists within this sector significantly.

Flipboard moves toward mobile commerce

| November 13, 2013

Flipboard begins approaching the mobile commerce field

Flipboard, a social magazine application for iOS and Android devices, has been updated recently in the hopes of extending itself further into the mobile commerce space. Flipboard has taken an interest in mobile commerce due to the revenue potential that it represents. In March of this year, the application was updated with a feature that allowed users to create their own magazines. Now, the application has introduced a catalogs category to this service, which may help it break into the mobile commerce field.

New tools designed to generate commerce activity

The newly added catalog tool is designed to expand the application’s curation capabilities. Catalogs are meant to act as a way to display and seek out purchasable items. These products can be purchased through a mobile device and users can share the catalogs they find through the application. Flipboard has launched 11 product-oriented magazines in order to generate initial mobile commerce activity. It has also begun collaborating with celebrities in order to generate more awareness concerning it efforts.

Mobile Commerce - FlipboardCompetition is fierce in the mobile commerce arena

Mobile commerce has become quite popular among consumers, but it does represent a very competitive field. Breaking into mobile commerce is no small feat due to the number of start-ups and large companies that are all trying to establish a strong foothold in this sector. Like other entities that are new to the mobile commerce field, Flipboard is taking a somewhat cautious approach rather than jumping headlong into the competition and risking failure.

Expansion of marketing tools may be a boon for brands

Flipboard will continue to generate revenue through its advertising model rather than imposing stringent fees on its catalog tool and mobile commerce initiative. Flipboard plans to expand its advertising in the near future and introduce better tools to marketers that will allow them to develop more targeted campaigns. Numerous brands have been using Flipboard as an advertising platform for some time and the expansion of the application’s marketing features may help these brands reach higher levels of mobile engagement.