According to recent statistics, mcommerce currently makes up 30 percent of online earnings.
The introduction and rapid penetration of smartphones has completely turned the world of online shopping on its head, to the point where mobile commerce is now representing a considerable share of the revenues that are being generated through ecommerce.
In fact, some of the latest data has indicated that mcommerce could represent nearly a third of online shopping revenue.
For example, in 2012, mobile commerce made up 10 percent of the overall revenues generated online by the websites of fashion retailer, Myntra, as well as 5 percent for Snapdeal an online deal provider. In 2013, however, that same channel was generating double the percentage for Myntra, and six times the percentage for Snapdeal, the latter of which was experiencing nearly daily growth in that area.
Travel companies are also benefiting from growing mobile commerce use by consumers.
It has been estimated that 15 percent of online travel company bookings at Yatra.com originated from smartphones. That company is now aiming to try to boost that figure to between 40 and 50 percent of its online revenue share, as rapidly as possible. Justdial, a local search website, has seen a much more considerable success rate, after having seen a growth of its mobile share of revenues by 150 percent.
For a long time the trend was for smartphone and tablet users to browse over their mobile devices and make their purchases in person, not online. Or they would browse over those gadgets and then make an online purchase using a laptop or desktop computer. However, that trend seems to be shifting as a growing number of people start to use their smartphones and tables for a larger number of daily tasks, including shopping and buying.
This trend toward mobile commerce buying has been accelerated by the rising number of retailers and merchants who have been optimizing their websites for smaller screens as well as creating dedicated apps. They have allowed for a greater amount of competition, comparison, and options so that consumers have more choice available to them through this channel.
Retailers seeing a marked rise in mobile commerce demand
E-commerce has grown to become a formidable force in India. The country’s retail sector has been working to appeal to consumers in a more dynamic way, now that many of these consumers have access to smartphones and tablets. These devices are beginning to change the way consumers shop online, making India’s traditional e-commerce initiatives somewhat outdated an unintuitive. As more consumers become mobile, retailers are beginning to consider whether the time is right to embrace mobile commerce more seriously.
Mobile technology expanding rapidly in India
The proliferation of smartphones and tablets is causing retailers to examine how to better engage consumers that are tethered to mobile devices. The best answer may be to adopt better mobile commerce services and ensure that e-commerce platforms are more accommodating to mobile devices. Currently, much the retailer industry’s online presence is built around those that shop online using their PCs. This means that e-commerce platforms are, generally, not optimized to be used for mobile devices, making it difficult for mobile consumers to shop and purchase products online.
Mobile commerce provides strong examples in other markets
Mobile commerce has already seen strong growth in other countries, such as the U.S. and the United Kingdom. In these countries, mobile commerce has helped several retailers find an impressive amount of success. According to a recent report from BI Intelligence, a leading market research firm, approximately 29% of mobile users in the U.S. have made a purchase through their smartphone or tablet. Many of these purchases were reported in the retail sector.
Retailers beginning to see a need to adapt to mobile consumers
Myntra, a leading seller of fashion and lifestyle products in India, notes that it has seen a dramatic rise in the number of people interested in participating in mobile commerce. This is partly due to the mass deployment of new mobile devices throughout the country. Consumers may be interested in mobile commerce due to its relatively new nature and the novelty that provides, but Myntra notes that demand is beginning to grow to the point where mobile commerce can no longer be ignored.
