Tag: mobile commerce technology

Future of mobile commerce predicted through Wedbush survey

| December 4, 2012

 

Mobile Commerce SurveySurvey aims to shed light on the possible future of mobile commerce

Mobile commerce may be a rampant success now, but the future of the phenomenon is still unclear. Though consumers have shown great interest in mobile commerce, it is difficult to tell whether this enthusiasm will continue as the economies of the world change and greater security risks emerge in developed markets. Wedbush Decisions Metrics, a market intelligence firm, has released the results of a new survey that aims to shed light on what the future of mobile commerce may be, from the perspective of leading retail companies.

Retailers continue to show interest in mobile consumers

Retailers have taken to mobile commerce in an aggressive fashion, hoping to take advantage of the growing popularity of the concept. While many retailers have long relied on e-commerce gateways — websites that facilitate sales — more companies are adopting point of sale technologies that allow consumers to purchase products in-store with their mobile devices. Consumers are becoming more interested in mobile wallet platforms, which are applications that help facilitate mobile payments. The Wedbush survey notes that mobile commerce will be a significant growth driver for the technology marketplace, which is occupied by companies like eBay and Amazon.

Mobile wallets are a popular tool for consumers

The survey suggests that retailers consider mobile commerce as the next step in the ongoing evolution of e-commerce. The results of the survey show that mobile commerce is performing well in this regard, as consumer engagement is quite high, following a similar trend that emerged when e-commerce began growing in popularity. The survey shows that frequent shoppers are three times as likely to make purchases from their mobile device using a mobile wallet application than traditional consumers.

PayPal cited as most trusted platform

The survey suggests that PayPal has established a strong lead in the mobile wallet space. The company has long held a strong position in the commerce space and has been working to engage mobile consumers in an aggressive fashion. They survey notes that approximately 85% of consumers trust PayPal, making the platform one of the most trusted brands in mobile commerce currently.

Microsoft sets sights on augmented reality glasses

| November 28, 2012

 

Microsoft Augmented RealityMicrosoft patents documents augmented reality glasses project

Microsoft has been showing a great deal of interest in augmented reality lately. The technology company appears to be ready to take its interest to the next level, according to a patent filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The patent filing from Microsoft documents plans for the development of a pair of augmented reality glasses, very similar to those being developed by Google. Microsoft believes that its glasses will be more than capable of competing with Google’s Project Glass.

AR system could be used for entertainment

The patent covers “a system and method to present a user wearing a head-mounted display with supplemental information when viewing a live event.” Essentially, the augmented reality glasses will be able to provide digital information concerning whatever is being viewed, allowing users to browse this content through a variety of contextual displays. The system has immediate implications for entertainment, as Microsoft is expected to leverage augmented reality technology in gaming and video. Augmented reality glasses could be used for much more than that, however.

Augmented reality shows potential in mobile commerce

Augmented reality has gained significant traction in marketing because of its interactive capabilities. Consumers have responded well to campaigns that make use of the technology in the past, leading to growing demand for the technology today. This interest is beginning to bleed into the realm of mobile commerce, where augmented reality technology could be used to make shopping more engaging and interactive.

Microsoft aims to compete with Google and others

Google has managed to generate a large amount of hype around the prospects of augmented reality glasses with Project Glass. Microsoft aims to overcome the challenge presented by Project Glass with it own augmented reality glasses. Whether the company will succeed in its endeavor has yet to be seen, but Microsoft is not alone in its interest of augmented reality. Sony is also planning to develop a pair of augmented reality glasses that could have a wide range of uses from entertainment to mobile commerce.