Tag: mobile shopping

Singles Day mobile commerce could be huge at Alibaba

| November 9, 2016

The Chinese mega-giant company has worked hard to broaden its global reach this year.

Singles Day mobile commerce predictions continue to roll in as the big day approaches on November 11. Alibaba has made tremendous efforts to help to bolster its own successes on this unique Chinese day. At the same time, it is hoping to encourage a growing number of consumers to participate.

That said, most analytics firms have agreed that the participation in Singles Day 2016 should break records.

Millions of people have already been making Singles Day mobile commerce purchases. Alibaba’s CEO, Jack Ma, is hoping to be able to use this m-commerce trend to achieve greater results outside of China, as well. Though Singles Day was invented in China and is celebrated primarily there, Alibaba is looking to use it as a jumping off point.

Singles Day Mobile Commerce - Mobile ShoppingNovember 11 is Veterans day in the United States. This makes it unlikely to be a great date to try to carry Singles Day over to this part of the world. That said, the company is hoping to keep the shopping momentum going in the US as the holiday season follows closely on its heels.

Singles Day mobile commerce is a more recent phenomenon that started over desktop in 1993.

The day was created by a group of male Nanjing University students. They decided that 11/11 was the perfect numerical date to represent a celebration of being single. Though it had a slow start and was limited to a small local movement over e-commerce, Alibaba made it big. The company decided to take hold of the movement, which saw growing popularity, and monetize it.

By 2009, the company’s massive e-commerce platforms, Taobao and Tmall, were raking in cash through online purchases. The first Singles Day observance brought an estimated $7 million in sales. Even in a market the size of China, that figure is impressive, though not at all tremendous. By 2010, far more retaielers were on board, including one of the main rivals of Alibaba in China, JD.com.

The next year, Alibaba alone generated $820 million in sales. By last year, that figure had risen to $9.3 billion, credited greatly to Singles Day mobile commerce trends. Since 2012 the sales have been greater than those seen on Cyber Monday in the United States and it is expected that they will be even higher this year.

MasterPass mobile payments available in-car with GM OnStar

| November 2, 2016

Drivers will soon be able to complete secure purchase transactions from within their vehicles.

A recent announcement has revealed that OnStar will soon allow drivers to make MasterPass mobile payments in GM vehicles. OnStar is a General Motors subsidiary and offers a subscription-based in-car communication service.

The mobile payments service was created in collaboration with IBM and will be available in several 2017 GM vehicles.

The service let drivers use their MasterPass mobile payments accounts to buy products and services. The transaction will run via OnStar and will be embedded within “many GM vehicles” next year.

MasterPass mobile payments - Mobile Phone and DriverA statement from MasterCard said: “By embedding MasterPass within OnStar Go, MasterCard will enable drivers and passengers to safely make secure and seamless payments for goods and services using credit or debit cards stored within their MasterPass wallet.”

This MasterPass mobile payments service will make it possible for merchants to provide a more connected experience.

In combination with IBM Watson, the OnStar mobile wallet service will develop new “connected driving experiences.” For instance, if the driver decides to buy a take-out breakfast from one of the restaurants on the OnStar Go merchant marketplace, new options would become available. That restaurant could, for example, ask the driver about ordering certain menu items based on purchases previously made there.

Consumers can make their orders ahead of time and checkout through the MasterPass service within their vehicles. They can then drive to the store or restaurant location to pick up the order. Since the transaction has already been handled through OnStar, that step needn’t be taken in-store. This helps to reduce the amount of time needed in order to make a purchase, providing a smoother experience.

Over time, as the driver continues to use MasterPass mobile payments, the merchants from whom the consumer makes purchases will be able to identify that individual’s shopping trends. This will make it possible for merchants to craft offers that are personalized to the unique preferences of each shopper. With customized and relevant marketing, consumers may find the offers they receive to be more appealing and may act on them on a more regular basis.