Tag: retail mobile commerce

Alibaba and Intime partner on mobile commerce

| November 21, 2013

Companies agree to tackle mobile commerce

Alibaba, one of China’s largest retail organizations, has entered into a new agreement with Intime Department Store. Intime currently operates 37 retail stores in China and had been looking to establish a stronger presence in the mobile sector. This interest aligns with Alibaba’s own plans and the two companies have agreed to work together to make mobile payments more accessible to consumers. This will be accomplished by Intime incorporating support for the Alipay Wallet application into its stores.

Alipay Wallet to be supported by Intime stores

Alipay was launched in January of this year and represents Alibaba’s approach to mobile commerce. The application is meant to store the financial information of users and make use of this information to facilitate purchases directly from a mobile device. The application currently boasts of more than 100 million users throughout China, making it the country’s premier mobile commerce platform. One of the attractive aspects of the application is the fact that it does not rely on NFC technology. The Alipay Wallet is able to facilitate mobile payments through the scanning of QR codes and similar barcodes.

Companies to expand their focus on mobile payments

Mobile Commerce - AlibabaPer the agreement, Intime will begin supporting payments being made by customers using the Alipay Wallet. This may help expose more people to the concept of mobile commerce and give them more flexibility when it comes to shopping at Intime stores. Both Alibaba and Intime have also agreed to expand their efforts in the mobile commerce field beyond the use of the Alipay Wallet. Exactly what that entails is not yet known.

Mobile commerce continues to gain traction in China

Mobile commerce has been gaining popularity with Chinese consumers for some time. More people are gaining access to smartphones and tablets and are beginning to demand more convenient and efficient ways to shop. Mobile commerce has been able to win over many people with its convenient aspects, but efficiency can often be a problem, especially if retailers are not comfortable with using mobile commerce platforms effectively.

Sharper Image takes on mobile commerce

| November 19, 2013

Sharper Image enters into the mobile commerce field for the holiday season

Sharper Image has a long history in specializing in high-tech products, but the retailer is entering into new territory that it has not yet explored. The retailer is set to launch its holiday catalog, which will feature a wide array of innovative gadgetry. While this is nothing new in and of itself, the catalog will be linked to a mobile commerce site, allowing consumers to purchase products they are interested from their smartphones and tablets.

Retailers work to engage mobile consumers

Mobile commerce has become quite popular among retailers, largely due to the success that many companies saw with their mobile commerce initiatives during the 2012 holiday season. Last year, many consumers opted to shop from their mobile devices, taking advantage of special deals being offered by retailers trying to engage the mobile crowd. For many retailers, this led to a sharp increase in revenue, which has encouraged them to continue pursuing mobile commerce aggressively.

Application equipped with image recognition technology

Mobile Commerce - Holiday Shopping OnlineSharper Image is not content to simply link its holiday catalog to a mobile commerce website, of course. The retailer has also developed an application that will allow consumers to browse, research, and purchase products directly from the catalog using image recognition technology. Each image in the catalog contains a digital watermark that function in a similar fashion to a QR code. When the application registers the watermark, it directs consumers to a particular product page.

Mobile commerce may usher in success for retailers

The application is designed to make the shopping experience more engaging while also leveraging the convenience of mobile commerce. Sharper Image expects that consumers will respond well to the initiative, which may also be a boon for those looking to get their holiday shopping out of the way early. Other companies have similar initiatives in mind, but none are utilizing image recognition technology to promote mobile commerce among consumers.