Tag: mobile technology news

Xiaomi may beat Apple in China’s mobile technology market

| July 1, 2014

Apple could face fierce competition as it begins to take the Chinese market more seriously

Apple is beginning to turn its sights to the Chinese market, but the company could face significant competition from Xiaomi. Few people outside of China may be familiar with Xiaomi. The company is a maker of smartphones and other mobile devices that has established a very strong presence in the Chinese market. Analysts at Rosenblatt Securities suggest that Xiaomi has the potential to compete with both Apple and Samsung in China.

Xiaomi manages to outpace Apple when it comes to sales, but lags behind Samsung

Xiaomi is often referred to as the “Apple of China.” This if a lofty title that the company has managed to attain through an aggressive approach to the market. Xiaomi has seen the rapidly growing popularity of mobile technology among consumers and has made efforts to satisfy the demand for smartphones and other devices that offer features that they are interested in, such as mobile commerce support and the ability to share digital content.

Engaging mobile consumers has managed to help Xiaomi find significant success

Mobile technology - Apple faces competitionCurrently, Xiaomi outsells Apple in the Chinese market, but falls behind when compared to Samsung. Many of the devices offered by Xiaomi actually resemble Apple’s iOS devices and the company itself approaches the mobile market in a similar fashion to Apple. When it comes to mobile commerce, however, Xiaomi is somewhat more cavalier than Apple. Apple has only very recently begun entering in to the mobile commerce space, opting to take a slow and caution approach to the market in order to avoid any significant disasters.

Consumers throughout China are becoming more mobile-centric, relying more heavily on mobile technology

Mobile commerce has become quite popular throughout China. Many consumers are opting to shop for and purchase products online from their mobile devices because it is more convenient. Companies that cater to these consumers are beginning to find significant success. Mobile consumers are becoming quite active in the market and are beginning to account for a significant portion of retail sales and revenue in various business sectors.

Mobile payments firm embraces the iBeacon

| June 20, 2014

LevelUp begins incorporating iBeacon into its overarching mobile commerce platform

LevelUp, a mobile payments firm that leverages QR codes as a powerful commerce tool, has announced that it has begun integrating Apple’s iBeacon into its platform. The iBeacon is gaining ground as a mobile commerce tool because it serves as a sort of alternative to NFC and similar technologies. The iBeacon utilizes Bluetooth technology to alert consumers of special deals being offered by retailers as soon as they enter a physical store. The service can also be used for a wide range of marketing and commerce initiatives.

LevelUp finds success through its use of Apple’s iBeacon

LevelUp added support for the iBeacon to its platform last month, but has only begun promoting this technology aggressively recently. During the initial testing of the iBeacon, retailers using the technology alongside the LevelUp platform reported a 22% increase in consumer spending. LevelUp notes that the transactions coming from its “lapsed” user base increased by an average of 63%. The introduction of the iBeacon technology into LevelUp’s platform has been well received among those that are using the platform.

The iBeacon could soon become one of the strongest mobile commerce tools available to businesses

mobile payments firm embraces mobile commerce toolThe iBeacon allows retailers to instantaneously engage thousands of consumers in a single store with special offers. The technology can easily notify consumers of when a loyalty reward is available to them and those using the iBeacon can access these rewards quite easily. The technology is meant to add more convenience to mobile commerce while offering those using it a better way to engage consumers in an effective manner. The iBeacon currently serves as one of Apple’s most promising mobile commerce tools, but the technology itself has yet to see extensive use in the retail sector.

iBeacon allows businesses to keep track of consumer behavior and adapt accordingly

Beyond providing some convenience to consumers interested in mobile payments, the iBeacon also allows businesses to keep track of information concerning consumer behavior. This information can be used for marketing purposes or help retailers better cater to consumers that are becoming quite reliant on mobile technology.