Mobile commerce beginning to blend with social media
Mobile commerce has been booming in several markets around the world recently. Companies are beginning to see the major benefits of engaging mobile consumers and providing them with new ways to purchase products. South Korea has seen significant economic gain through the adoption of mobile commerce recently, especially as businesses throughout the country begin to blur the line between mobile commerce and social media. yStats, a market research and analysis firm, has released a new report concerning the growing trend of social commerce.
Report highlights mobile sales throughout 2012
According to the report, more than three quarters of the South Korean population made use of the Internet in 2012. The vast majority of these people went online to purchase products, as well as engage in social media. The report shows that in 2012, for the first time in the country’s history, more people accessed the Internet through their mobile devices than through traditional computers. Mobile sales in South Korea for the year reached over $10 billion, showing that mobile commerce has established a very strong presence within the country. yStats suggests that social commerce is becoming a very powerful trend in the South Korean market.
Social networks beginning to embrace mobile commerce
Mobile consumers are constantly engaged in social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. While these sites have typically shied away from any sort of commerce, they have been growing more interested in the prospects of mobile commerce in recent years. Facebook, for instance, has been experimenting with ways to allow users to purchase products through e-commerce platforms that can be accessed by a mobile device. Because consumers have a penchant for sharing their interests and connecting with businesses through social media, such services could be very lucrative for companies that have a strong interest in mobile commerce.
Security continues to be a significant issue for consumers
Social commerce is still in its infancy. There are many potential challenges that must be overcome before social networks can fully embrace mobile commerce on any level. One of the most daunting challenges that social media faces is security. Mobile commerce, as a whole, has been plagued by security issues that have caused many consumers to avoid using their mobile devices to purchase products. If social networks can find a way to secure the financial information of their users, mobile commerce may become much more common in the future.
