UK retail industry may not be accommodating of mobile commerce
Mobile commerce is expanding, but United Kingdom retailers may be missing their opportunity to take advantage of the growing number of consumers that are interested in shopping from their mobile devices. Skava, a leading provider of retail technology, has announced that it recently participated in a study of UK and U.S. retailers. The study suggests that a significant portion of retailers in the UK are not optimizing their websites for mobile devices, which means that they could be missing out on a significant amount of business from mobile consumers.
Study shows half of top 100 retailers in the UK are not taking mobile seriously
The study shows that only 50% of the UK’s top 100 retailers have optimized their websites for mobile devices, compared to 100% of the top 100 retailers in the U.S. Skava suggests that not optimizing retail sites for mobile viewing could be a major misstep for UK retailers, especially as consumers become more apt to use their mobile devices to make purchases. Mobile commerce is growing in popularity and many retailers may find that they are missing a significant opportunity, potentially losing their spot in the top 100 by making it difficult for consumers to participate in mobile shopping.
Websites optimized for mobile devices are becoming increasingly important
Websites that are not optimized for mobile devices are difficult for mobile consumers to use. This is because mobile devices are inherently different than traditional computers. Smaller screens and access to mobile Internet make it difficult for consumers to browse sites that do not prioritize cross-platform optimization. In terms of mobile commerce, e-commerce sites make mobile payments almost impossible, providing consumers with a poor experience.
Skava aims to promote mobile commerce services
The growing number of consumers with smartphones and tablets has lead many companies to optimize their websites for mobile viewing, but much of the retail industry in the UK remains somewhat complacent. Skava recently entered into the European market in order to provide more services to the retail industry, aiming to help retailers become more accommodating of mobile commerce.
Interest group to tackle issues concerning NFC technology
NFC technology was once the cornerstone of mobile commerce. The technology helped bring mobile payments into the limelight because of its ability to facilitate quick data transfer from one device to another. While NFC technology is still a focus in some areas of mobile commerce, the industry is beginning to move away from the technology because of its relatively low adoption rate and concerns regarding its security. The NFC Forum, a trade association that developers standards for the use of NFC technology, has created an interest group that aims to explore the ways the technology can be used in the realms of mobile payments and transportation.
NFC Forum aims to promote use of technology for transportation and mobile payments
The NFC Forum has been promoting the capabilities of NFC technology, especially when used in mobile commerce, for more than a decade. The organization has established many of the standards that govern the use of the technology today. The NFC Forum has been seeing the position of the technology in the mobile commerce realm steadily diminish and has been looking for ways to encourage the continued use of the technology as a medium for mobile payments.
NFC could be very useful in the realm of transportation
The new interest group established by the NFC Forum aims to discover new ways to use NFC technology for mobile payments and for transportation. In terms of mobile commerce, the use of the technology is fairly straightforward, but the group will focus on finding ways to improve the efficiency and security of NFC-based mobile payments. The technology does have some promise when it comes to transportation, as it can be used as a storage medium for electronic tickets for various forms of public transportation.
NFC allows for use of electronic tickets
Using NFC technology, a consumer can store electronic tickets on their mobile device. When they are ready to board a plane, for instance, they can use their mobile device to present their boarding pass, removing the need for physical tickets. NFC has a variety of uses, but there exists a lack of NFC-enabled devices that enable the widespread adoption of this technology. The interest group will focus on highlighting the capabilities of NFC technology in order to encourage its adoption among consumers, businesses, and other parties.
