Tag: m-commerce sales

Some companies and techniques are working to expand the use of shopping over this channel.

Mobile commerce is taking off very rapidly but, at the same time, the number of consumers who are using the channel are exceptionally low compared to the number who shop in person or who buy over the internet on their laptops and desktops.

There are a number of reasons that people have hesitated to turn to their smartphones to buy.

People frequently hold back from shopping via smartphone and tablet because mobile commerce often comes with slow internet speeds, improperly optimized websites, long page load times, and concerns over the security of payments. Despite the fact that online shopping no matter where the consumer may be provides a tremendous opportunity for convenience, variety, and price comparisons but even the best apps and websites often lead individuals to learn about a product and then purchase it on a desktop or in a brick and mortar store instead of buying over that channel.

However, many mobile commerce using companies are working to boost the numbers.

The latest sales data from Capgemini and IMRG have shown that from the second quarter of last year to the same quarter this year, there was an increase in mobile commerce sales from 11.6 percent of online purchases to 23 percent.

There are many reasons that consumers are still hesitating to buy over mobile commerce. They include the following:

• Reduced internet performance that doesn’t meet the expectations of consumers.
• Heavy page weight that leads to increased load times.
• Redirection issues
• Security concerns

A mobile commerce survey in which 728 people participated showed that among all of the various tasks that people complete using their smartphones or tablets, “reserve and collect” services, and “shopping online” were still lower than many companies would hope. Among those respondents, only 9 percent shopped online and 27 percent used reserve and collect services (where an item is ordered to be put aside in a store and the customer picks it up in person). This suggests to many that a “click to collect” service may be more appealing to consumers than actually completing the order to be shipped online by way of a small screen device.

Study highlights mobile commerce prospects in the US

Leading analytics and market research firm comScore has released a new study concerning mobile commerce sales in the U.S. The study suggests that mobile commerce is making strong progress in the U.S. over sales recorded in 2012. Consumers seem to be showing a great deal of interest in mobile payments because of the convenience that they represent. This interest is being stoked by retailers that are adopting mobile commerce systems. More of these systems have also been showing up throughout the country, providing consumers with a variety of options when it comes to mobile shopping.

$10 billion in sales surpassed during first half of 2012

According to the study, mobile commerce sales in the U.S. could reach $25 billion by the end of this year. Sales have already surpassed $10 billion during the first half of the year and the momentum mobile commerce has generated has yet to show signs of dissipating in the near future. comScore notes that mobile commerce sales reached approximately $20 billion by the end of 2012.

Smartphones account for majority of sales

The study shows that smartphones still account for the lion’s share of mobile payments. More money was spent by tablet users on a per user basis, however. Many consumers have expressed their favor for tablets in for mobile shopping over smartphones. This may be due to the fact that tablets feature larger screens that make it easier to navigate the shopping experience.

NFC dependence limits mobile commerce adoption

The U.S. is quickly establishing itself as a major mobile commerce market. Unfortunately, most mobile commerce services are still based on NFC technology, meaning that only NFC-enabled devices can make use of these services. NFC-enabled devices are still relatively rare in the U.S., limiting the number of people that can participate in mobile commerce. Moreover, no single mobile commerce service has yet managed to establish a major following among U.S. consumers.