Tag: mobile retail

Consumers begin growing more interested in mobile commerce

Consumers are becoming increasingly mobile. That does not mean that they are moving around more often; it means that mobile technology is beginning to play a very important role in their daily lives. This trend has become most apparent in the shopping behavior of consumers, who are beginning to rely more heavily on their smartphones and tablets to make purchases. Mobile commerce is on the rise, and it may soon replace traditional retail due to the convenience it offers consumers.

Report shows that consumers are spending more time on mobile shopping

comScore, a leading market research firm, has released a new report titled “State of the U.S. Online Retail Economy Q1 2013.” As the name suggests, the report details the trends that exist as well as those that are emerging in the retail industry of the U.S. The report shows that mobile commerce has begun gaining significant momentum as more consumers begin to favor their smartphones and tablets for shopping online.

Mobile shopping has become an overwhelmingly popular pastime

According to the report, the time that consumers spent in online retail rose by 104% in February of this year over the levels it had been in February of 2010. Consumers spent a cumulative total of 34.9 billion minutes in online shopping, the vast majority of which was devoted to shopping through mobile devices. The report suggests that mobile commerce has become a powerful force in the U.S. retail sector, driving many companies to develop and utilize their own mobile commerce services in order to appeal to consumers.

Smartphones trump tablets when it comes to mobile commerce

The report also shows that smartphones continue to be more popular than tablets when it comes to mobile commerce. As of March 2013, 34% of the time spent by consumers in online shopping came from smartphones, where 14% came from tablet devices. Tablets are gaining some momentum in mobile commerce, however, as they garner acclaim for their larger screens that allow for better navigation and a more enjoyable shopping experience.

Nordstrom has launched digital storefronts to accommodate mobile shoppers.

Long-time American fashion retailer Nordstrom has stood the test of time again and again due to the company’s fashion-forward thinking, and is now readying itself for a mobile commerce future.

Mobile technology could pave the way for a new digital shopping world.

Mobile commerce is becoming more prominent in the retail market, not just in terms of online shopping but in-store shopping, as well. With more and more consumers using smartphone devices, Nordstrom, one of the oldest department stores in the U.S., has every intention of appealing to the interests of these tech savvy consumers, now and in the future.

The next 30 years will be about appealing to the interest of consumers, in which mobile commerce will play a large roll.

If merchants want to please customers, they’ll need to stay on top of the latest trends, do what they can to predict the desires of consumers and satisfy them. According to Blake Nordstrom, the president of Nordstrom and the great-grandson of the company’s founder, John W. Nordstrom, although retailing will be different in the future, “there still will be customers who desire fresh new product. What that product is, how we satisfy the customer, that’s open.”

What will the future of retail look like? Nordstrom believes that aside from a more digital shopping experience that may include parametric technology that can provide consumers with a good idea of the way clothing may look and fit on their particular body type, without them having to try it on, current cash registers will no longer be around.

Instead, he says, “We see the future of point-of-sale as completely mobile.” Where the actual shopping takes place won’t matter so much as time goes on. Nordstrom believes that shoppers will use the most convenient platform to conduct their shopping. This will make it very important for mobile commerce to be implemented in-store.

Retail analysts foresee a big change in purpose for brick and mortar stores. Instead of their current role, they will provide a more sensory focused experience. Customers will physically interact with the items they are interested in purchasing, which they can buy remotely and have these products shipped.

Mobile commerce technology continues to be upgraded and developed and Nordstrom is ready to embrace a smartphone-friendly retail future.