Tag: mobile payments

Mobile commerce surges in China during the Lunar New Year

| February 15, 2016

New Year’s celebrations lead to more mobile spending throughout China

The Lunar New Year has come and gone and mobile commerce surged during the Chinese holiday. During the Lunar New Year, those living in China send one another traditional red packets, called hong bao. These red envelopes typically contain money and is something that many people look forward to receiving every year. With the emergency of mobile technology, the way people give hong bao to one another has changed, which has been good news for mobile commerce in general.

Payment platforms enable consumers to send and receive hong bao efficiently

Both WeChat and Alipay enable people to deliver hong bao cards to one another. Both platforms have become very popular in China, as they allow people to make purchases and send money to others. These two platforms have allowed mobile shopping to thrive in China and have given their owners, Tencent and Alibaba respectively, a competitive edge over those that would try to enter into China’s mobile commerce market. During the Lunar New Year, the platforms proved to be particularly effective in serving mobile consumers.

The number of hong bao being send through mobile services continues to rise ad mobile payments become more common

Chinese New Year - Mobile CommerceAccording to Tencent, more than 8 billion hong bao cards were exchanged during the Lunar New Year. This is eight times more than the number of hong bao that were sent last year. This is actually a trend that has been seen over the past few years. More consumers are becoming mobile-centric, which is making them more comfortable with the concept of mobile payments and how their devices can be used to connect with one another.

China continues to be an attractive mobile commerce market for many

This year, the hong bao may highlight the growing importance of mobile payments systems, as well as their value. During the third quarter of 2015, China’s mobile commerce space was valued at approximately $368 million. The country is considered the fastest growing mobile payments market in the world, attracting the attention of other companies that are in this sector.

Mobile commerce is triggering a revolution in the retail space

| February 12, 2016

Retailers are beginning to change the way they do business with consumers

Manhattan Associates, a prominent software developer, predicts that the retail sector will experience a major shift in the coming years. The organization predicts that retailers will become more customer-centric, offering more personalized shopping experiences. The rise of mobile commerce is has had major influence on the retail sector, forcing many merchants to embrace mobile technology in an effort to adequately connect with a new generation of consumers with evolving interests.

Improving the shopping experience is becoming a priority for retailers throughout the world

The organization notes that merchants will have to address five key areas in order to find more success in changing markets. The first, and perhaps most important, area is making sure the shopping experience is personal and convenient. This is where mobile shopping can shine, as shopping platforms that allow consumers to use their smartphones to purchase products can offer them a personalized experience that other platforms do not have.

Store assistants could make or break the shopping experience

Mobile Commerce - Retail RevolutionMerchants will also have to understand the roles that store assistants play in the shopping experience. Store assistants must have the knowledge and skill to serve consumers effectively, especially as mobile commerce continues to grows. More retailers are making use of mobile shopping platforms and supporting mobile payments at physical locations. As such, store assistants must be well versed in how new payment systems work and how to ensure that consumers have the best shopping experience possible.

Millennials are beginning to hold more power in the retail space

Retailers will also have to consider the growing power of Millennials, whom are becoming the largest demographic in the mobile shopping space. These consumers have a seemingly intrinsic connection to the digital world and mobile technology. If retailers can connect with these consumers, they may find enthusiastic shoppers whom are willing to spend considerable amounts of money on products and services that they are interested in. These consumers are already quite comfortable with the concept of mobile commerce and have shown that they are quite willing to make use of mobile shopping platforms.