Tag: facebook mobile commerce

Code discovered in Messenger app hints at mobile commerce functionality

Facebook Messenger may soon become a hub for mobile payments. Code hidden within the application itself hints that Facebook may choose to make the app a mobile commerce tool, contrary to what the company had said in the past. Facebook has shown strong interest in mobile commerce, but had not intended to make the Messenger app into a new payment platform, opting instead to focus on other solutions. This may be changing, however, as Facebook begins to feel the need to compete with other companies in the mobile commerce space.

Facebook had been relatively disinterested in mobile payments in the past

Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, had claimed that the company was not looking to break into the mobile commerce space in any considerable way. This is contrary to what the company has been dowing in the recent past, however, as Facebook has been making it possible for businesses to connect with consumers more dynamically and making it easier for consumers to purchase products online. Like other companies, Facebook has shown interest in the concept of social commerce, which involves consumers using social media sites to shop for and purchase products.

Social media companies are becoming more involved in mobile commerce

The company is not the only one within the social media space that is interested in mobile payments. Twitter, Pinterest, and several other companies have also begun breaking into the mobile commerce market. This market is quite competitive due to the numerous companies that have broken into the sector. Retailers are becoming very eager to embrace mobile shoppers, however, which is forcing social media companies to support mobile payments in order to better serve retailers using their services.

New features may be coming to Facebook Messenger

There are other features coming to Facebook Messenger as well, including a feature that could allow consumers to have “secret conversations.” This could operate in the same way as the “incognito” mode on web browsers, which prevents them from recording browsing history. Facebook has not yet commented on the discovery of the code within the Messenger app, but it may indicate that the company is beginning to grow more aggressive in the mobile commerce space.

Some of the giants in the industry are saying that smartphone shopping will soon be far more personalized.

As mobile commerce continues its evolution, new developments, insights, and predictions have become relatively commonplace, particularly as a growing number of real-life features are starting to be included in the shopping experience to integrate smartphones in the shopping experience.

Beacons, mobile marketing, and smartphone based payments at checkout counters are blurring the reality/digital lines.

Now, some of the largest players in this market, including Google, Facebook, and Foursquare, are attempting to ensure that smartphone users are able to use mobile commerce to purchase the products and services they want whenever they want them and at any time. This effort is also trying to make the process as seamless as possible. These companies have also revealed that there is one major trend that appears to be present on virtually every level of mobile commerce as it moves ahead, and that is customization and personalization. The more a customer is able to see relevance and convenience with the use of smartphones as a part of their shopping experience, the more they are using it.

Mobile commerce is, therefore, about to become an increasingly personalized experience for consumers.

According to the Facebook director of global marketing solutions, Kelly Graziadei, mobile apps are making up about half the total time that consumers are spending on their smartphones and tablets. Moreover, it was pointed out that 75 percent of that time is spent on the four most popular mobile apps, including that social network.

Therefore, among the main questions that are now being asked by the companies behind the leading applications is with regards to how they can go about continuing to engage a customer over the application and ensure that the right product is placed in front of the right individuals at exactly the time that they actually want it.

Graziadie explained that deep linking makes it possible for a customer to be sent from their Facebook or Instagram account to a retailer, and while this is a “big part of it,” it is also important to note that one of the primary questions in retail is exactly where the customer should be sent. Should it be to an app or to the website. The next mobile commerce question is how to use that direction to ensure that the experience will be as seamless as possible, as the key is to make sure that it is an entirely personalized experience.