Tag: mobile commerce

Mobile commerce application receives more support in Thailand

| February 22, 2013

Mobile Commerce ThailandShopSpot mobile commerce platform wins more funding

ShopSpot, a mobile commerce startup based in Thailand, has announced that it has raised $630,000 in investments, much of which came from Jungle Ventures and SingTel Innov8. The company’s mobile commerce application of the same name is designed to be easy to use in order to be universally accommodating to consumers of all kinds. ShopSpot notes that ease-of-use is one of the most important aspects of mobile commerce that is often overlooked by many of the larger companies that are involved in the mobile market.

Application offers several innovative features to consumers

The mobile commerce application does not only allow consumers to purchase products using their mobile device; it also allows them to shop for products that they are interested in. The application can use location-based information to help consumers find products in an efficient manner. It also enables consumers to communicate directly with a retailer, though retailers are unlikely to participate in this communication due the lack of staff committed to chatting with individual consumers.

Monetization absent from ShopSpot

Notably, the application does not have its own monetization model in place. ShopSpot does not impose any fees on transactions made through the application and does not offer advertising services to companies. This may be due to a trend that has emerged in the Asian market wherein many consumers will avoid applications that charge them for services. As such, many mobile commerce applications that have been launched in Asia have seen modest success as the majority of these applications charge consumers for every transaction they make.

Investments keeps ShopSpot afloat

Investments will help keep ShopSpot going for the foreseeable future, but the company may have to introduce some kind of monetization system eventually. Whether consumers will be willing to embrace the application after such a system is in place is difficult to know for sure. For now, the application helps fill a gap that has existed in Thailand burgeoning mobile commerce market, making it well received among many consumers.

Mobile commerce applications gain more popularity in the UK

| February 21, 2013

Mobile Commerce UK GrowthData shows UK Android users are enchanted by mobile commerce apps

There was a time when mobile games and other entertainment applications were exceedingly popular among Android users. New data from Nielsen, a leading information and analysis firm, shows that this is no longer the case, at least in the United Kingdom. According to Nielsen, mobile commerce and banking applications are now the most popular apps with Android users. Seven of the top 15 major applications in the UK market have to do with mobile commerce in some way, with some of the most used apps coming from Tesco, Amazon, and Quidco.

Consumers show strong interest in shopping from their smart phones and tablets

Mobile commerce has grown to become a very powerful force in the mobile space. Consumers all over the world have been showing interest in using their mobile devices to purchase products of all kinds. Mobile commerce is especially popular in retail, where companies like Tesco have been working to engage mobile consumers for years. According to Nielsen, Tesco’s application saw more than a 145% spike in new users between May and October of 2012. Those using the application spent 45% more time engaged with the retailer during the same period.

Banks and telecoms account for many popular applications

Many of the mobile commerce applications that have become popular with UK consumers come from the country’s banks and telecommunications companies. Banking applications have been included in Nielsen’s data because mobile commerce does not exclusively refer to the practice of purchase a product using a smart phone or tablet. Rather, mobile commerce is any form of commerce conducted through the use of a mobile device, banking and shopping included.

Mobile games win in consumer engagement

Despite mobile commerce applications becoming so popular among Android users, many consumers are still showing strong interest in mobile games. Nielsen’s data shows that mobile games accounted for the most time spent on smart phones and tablets among consumers. While these applications may have been beaten out by mobile commerce in terms of growth, they are still soaking up the majority of a consumer’s time through engagement.