Tag: mobile commerce sales

Mobile commerce is showing signs of life

Mobile commerce in the Middle East is beginning to pick up momentum. The availability of smartphones and tablets is on the rise, giving consumers new ways to shop and purchase products over the Internet. E-commerce has held a relatively strong foothold throughout the region, but mobile commerce is beginning to show signs of aggressive growth, powered by the interests of young, tech-savvy consumers. Much of this growth is expected to be seen in Saudi Arabia, where mobile technology penetration is quite high.

PayPal report projects bright future for mobile commerce

PayPal has released a new report concerning mobile commerce in the Middle East. The report shows that mobile transactions currently represent 10% of all online purchases in the region. Mobile commerce is expected to represent 20% of all online sales in the Middle East by 2015. The report notes that shopping from a traditional PC remains dominant in the e-commerce sector, but this will not be the case in the near future as more consumers begin favoring their mobile devices for their shopping.

Mobile payments in Saudi Arabia are likely to grow

In Saudi Arabia, e-commerce is expected to reach $2.7 billion by the end of 2015. Mobile commerce in the country will account for approximately $700 million by that time. The report suggests that tablets will lead the rise of mobile commerce in Saudi Arabia. Many consumers appear to enjoy their shopping experience on tablet devices due to the larger screens and better control options of these devices. Tablets can make mobile commerce more attractive by providing consumers with a memorable and enjoyable shopping experience.

Experience may dictate growth of mobile commerce

Mobile commerce is also expected to make strong progress in Qatar as well, representing $400 million by the end of 2015. Smartphones are likely to become more popular than tablets in the mobile commerce space simply because they are more abundant. Ultimately, the growth of mobile commerce will be determined by consumer experience rather than what device is more readily available to them in the Middle East.

According to the latest Capgemini figures, UK online retail sales over smartphones and tablets are exploding.

The most recent figures from a study released by Capgemini are showing that online sales struck the £6.8 billion mark, as mobile commerce has taken off in the United Kingdom by 133 percent in August when compared to the same month in 2012.

This included shopping that was conducted over both smartphones and tablets by U.K. consumers.

The figures were calculated as a combined effort between Capgemini and IMRG. They also determined that within that month, overall online sales – including those originating from mobile commerce channels – increased by 18 percent, when compared to the same time last year.

This increase is double what was seen when online and mobile commerce sales from July 2013 were compared with 2012.

An increase in online and mobile commerce sales of only 9 percent were recorded during that period of time. In August, the sales this year were worth £6.8 billion, whereas those from last year in that month were £5.79 billion.

According to the Capgemini retail consulting and technology head, Chris Webster, the increase in mobile commerce sales from £674 million to £1.5 billion is the result of a number of different factors that have occurred over the last 12 months. He stated that “Firstly, the adoption of tablets and smartphones in general is rising all the time and this means sales are rising. Secondly, people are more confident using devices like this to make purchases, especially tablets.”

He also added that companies are now beginning to make their websites compatible with mobile commerce, by creating a shopping experience that has been optimized for the smaller screen and the touchscreen navigation experience. “Rather than trying to reskim their desktop site they are offering an improved customer journey.”

The increase in sales also upped the average shopping cart price. Between July and August, the average total at checkout rose from £72 to £77. Webster attributed this to a strengthening economy and that people are starting to have greater confidence in buying bigger ticket items and making higher end retail purchases.