Tag: mobile commerce

The results of a recent study have indicated that Apple smartphone users shop over applications the most.

Arbitron has just released the results of its most recent marketing research study, and has revealed that when it comes to m-commerce apps, iPhone owners are using them much more often than Android smartphone owners.

The difference in the proportion of device owners who are using these apps is a considerable one.

The study showed that 67.5 percent of iPhone owners also use m-commerce apps, when compared to Android smartphone owners, among whom only 43. 9 percent use these applications. This could suggest that for companies with apps, iPhone customers may be their sweetest plum.

There was also a difference in the amount that the device users were spending over m-commerce apps.

Among iPhone users, the average number of m-commerce trips over apps every month was 35. Moreover, they spent an average of 105.5 minutes shopping using their smartphones every month. On the other hand, Android smartphone users went on an average of 29.5 virtual shopping trips every month, during which time they spent an average 87.6 minutes on the task.

The report on the results of the survey did not suggest any conclusions as to why this difference exists between the m-commerce app usage habits of iPhone owners and those of Android smartphone owners.

There has been third party speculation that while there are about the same total number of apps available in both formats, there may be more m-commerce apps that are available exclusively for Apple devices. Moreover, there has been a trend of releasing some apps over iOS first, with a wait time of several weeks or months before an Android option becomes available. Instagram has been used as a well known example of this trend, as there was an 18 month wait for Android users after iOS users were already enjoying the application.

That said, this data was not included in the Arbitron research, which examined only the m-commerce app usage habits. It did not go on to investigate what might be the causes behind those behaviors by each type of device user.

Alipay puts a new twist on mobile payments

Alipay, a leading third party online payment solution provider in China, has launched a new payment system in the Beijing Subway. The system is designed to accommodate those interested in mobile payments, allowing them to use their smartphones or tablets to pay for public transit tickets. Such a payment system is nothing new, especially in the realm of public transportation, but the way that Alipay’s system facilitates mobile payments certainly breaks away from the established norm.

System uses sound waves to facilitate payments

Alipay’s mobile payments system uses sound waves in order to facilitate mobile transactions. The system relies on the Alipaw wallet, a digital wallet application that was released in January of this year. The application emits white noise, which is registered by the payment system, which then initiates a transaction. This white noise mechanic was initially meant to facilitate peer-to-peer transactions, but Beijing Subway saw significant promise in the applications capabilities.

Alipay Wallet application heavily influenced by growing demand for mobile commerce services

The new system has been launched in two stations in the Beijing Subway. More systems are expected to be installed throughout the subway network in the near future. Alipay notes that the growing importance of mobile payments in the lives of consumers was a strong inspiration for the development of this new payment system. The Alipay Wallet application is available to both Android and iOS consumers, but the latter group is noted as a major contributor to the development of the application’s sound-based mechanics.

Application meant to make mobile commerce more accommodating to iOS consumers

NFC technology has long been a cornerstone of mobile payments, but this technology is not available for iOS devices due to Apple’s disapproval of the technology. As such, iOS consumers have had to rely on alternatives in order to participate in mobile commerce. The sound-based features of the Alipay Wallet are meant to make it possible for iOS consumers to make mobile payments easily without having to worry about having access to NFC technology.