mCommerce trends in 2015
When Apple Pay was launched in October 2014, that’s when m-commerce had come of age. The Apple Pay was part of the iPhone 6’s innovations, which brought together point of sale (POS) transaction processing with Near Field Communication (NFC) technologies. Essentially, it was with the iPhone 6 generation that a mobile user could touch his or her device to another device with NFC technologies in order to make transactions in a brick and mortar store.
It was the first time a mobile device could be used as a credit card, and it was the moment Apple entered into the realm of transaction and payment processing. As m-commerce quickly evolves, more big-name brands are looking to get into online payment options, including the likes of Amazon and Google.
The year 2015 has ensured that more and more people are accessing the Internet with mobile devices. In fact, the desktop computer is quickly becoming a less coveted item as mobile devices are heralded for their convenience. In the year 2014, Goldman Sachs made a prediction pertaining to mobile shopping and spending, and that forecast suggests that by 2018 will increase to as much as $626 billion.
Read also: Cost of mobile app
Bear in mind that a phrase like m-commerce or mobile commerce has multiple meanings. For one developer it may refer to in-app purchases, to another it can refer to premium apps. For someone else, the term m-commerce can suggest touch device technologies or a mobile POS allowing users to pay for something with their mobile device. The categorizations for m-commerce are myriad. There are, however, six key categorizations in the realm of m-commerce. The top six categorizations are as follows:
- Coupons sent digitally to consumers for use in brick and mortar establishments.
- Response when buyer users a website to buy products/services (Mobile Optimized).
- Retail Point of Sale (POS) mobile payment solutions.
- App Only Purchases on Mobile (e.g. Square or Uber).
- Social Media Purchases (In-App) (e.g. Twitter/Facebook).
- Mobile Access to e-commerce website online.
Mobile Devices and In-App Purchases
Mobile users commonly make purchases when using an application: This is the foundation of in-app purchases. Nevertheless, the amount of app that people are interacting with has reached its peak. This means that Facebook is one of a select few that can pull off the development of its own payment system. Thus, social games and their developers may be more reliant on Facebook credits or other options in order to bring in money from gaming applications. Bear in mind that it doesn’t really mean that there’s a challenge against the position of Google Wallet.
Starbucks has jumped on the payment processing bandwagon too, and the company created its own m-commerce platform as an addition to the company’s already existing infrastructure, thereby presenting the loyalty point and transactions via a mobile phone in a useful package that mirrors and complements the company’s offline experience.
Of course, Amazon is an Internet giant in sales so it’s no wonder the company has its own payment processing solutions. What this all means for the app developers throughout the remainder of 2015? There are plenty of viable, outstanding, and trustworthy payment options that can be integrated into m-commerce apps where customers are already participating with one of the big name providers in pre-existing payment processing environments. Thus, mobile app developers can create apps that reward users with things like Facebook credits or Amazon points and other related rewards.
m-Commmerce is More than Mere Shopping
The way brick and mortar retail shops operate has been forever changed by the innovation of mobile devices. Handheld mobile devices have brought an entire entourage of innovations to the retail setting and businesses are following the hottest application development trends. The gap between the physical and virtual store has now dubbed the gap between “bricks and clicks,” and businesses are doing everything in their power to make that gap as small as possible.
The methods businesses are using mobile advertising solutions include offering discount coupons that are scannable via a mobile device, making use of mobile solutions for business is on the rise. For instance, Buzztala has created a platform where users can create video reviews and/or customer testimonials for whatever websites they favor.
Social Media Marketing Remains Meaningful
And of course, for the remainder of 2015, the ever-increasing pins on Pinterest and Likes on Facebook will continue to prove important to the thee-commerce/m-commerce business. As per SocialCode’s Max Kalehoff, there are businesses out there that are spending budgets that are the size of television scale advertising budgets, and it’s all for the purposes of social media marketing. In fact, there’s little doubt that social media marketing will soon match the costs of other more costly forms of advertising.
Mobile Websites Are Powerful Business Tools
While mobile devices and Internet access through such devices is on the rise, that’s when a business owner would be wise to establish a mobile site for the consumer as a powerful business tool. If the business owner has a website online and a mobile-friendly site, then that’s like killing two birds with a single stone, and it will allow the business owner to capture the attention of consumers from two avenues instead of just one.
Credit Cards Through Mobile Devices
NFC technologies are changing the way consumers pay for goods and services, and businesses need to adapt in order to maintain consumer loyalty. Many smartphones are fitted with NFC chips, which allow for banking information and payment to be processed when scanned on a special reader.
This type of POS processing is different than credit card purchases, as it allows for the use of interactive payment processing as well as alternative services. As per David Marcus, the PayPal president calls the service Money 3.0. Is it possible that the latter service becomes pervasive this year? Or will rival options come to the forefront, like Apple’s iBeacon or Beacon by PayPal, both of which are dependent on Bluetooth® technologies?
New Innovations on the Horizon
The mobile app world is evolving at a rapid pace and as such there are new and promising applications on the horizon. Take for instance the usage of Biometrics where retina scans, fingerprint scans, and voice recognition are revolutionizing the way people identify themselves via mobile transactions.
The newest mobile app novelties are bound to shape the way businesses conduct business for years to come, both in e-commerce, m-commerce, and physical realms.
