Retailers and manufacturers are pondering whether in a world of augmented shopping via mobile devices we will see a shift away from traditional e-commerce. The evidence shows that m-commerce is arming consumers with a personal shopping assistant and offering new forms of customer rewards, while also providing retailers and manufacturers with valuable digital advertising.
Mobile Commerce
Houston is the nation’s No. 1 city when it comes to “mobile shopping savvy,” according to a new study by the Interactive Advertising Bureau. New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles and Dallas/Ft. Worth were the other top m-commerce cities among the nation’s 15 largest DMAs.
Verizon — the only official carrier for the Google Galaxy Nexus phone — said it will not support Google Wallet in its phones. Google confirmed that Verizon asked the company not to include the feature in the Galaxy Nexus phone.
Mobile commerce is still small compared to the overall e-commerce market, but m-commerce sales are on a steep upward trajectory thanks in part to increasing adoption of smartphones and rising mobile internet usage, according to a new forecast by eMarketer.
Walgreens is offering holiday shoppers one of the largest mobile-only coupon programs to date from a major retailer. At more than 7,700 locations, Walgreens' customers can bring their smartphones to the checkout to have mobile coupons scanned directly from the device.
Cyber Monday shouldn't change its name to Mobile Monday. At least not yet. As it has in all other areas of retailing, mobile commerce has made its presence felt during the Black Friday-to-Cyber Monday shopping period. Mobile devices are the gateway to retailer websites for 13.3 percent of consumers, and 8.5 percent are using these devices to make a purchase, according to an IBM Benchmark Alert.
eBay CEO John Donahoe told The Wall Street Journal it had a "record" Black Friday but provided no further information. eBay did share its mobile growth rates for Thursday and Friday, some data about which products and categories consumers were shopping, and somewhat interesting data about its Black Friday deals.
Walgreens is bringing mobile couponing and exclusive offers to smartphone users starting on Black Friday as it launches a mobile coupon program at more than 7,700 stores across the country. The scannable coupons, which range in value from 50 cents to $5, are being added to its mobile apps, giving customers money off products including beauty items, gifts, consumables and everyday essentials.
Wal-Mart is improving customer experience by allowing shoppers to scan and pay for items away from the checkout counter. With Apple’s new EasyPay feature as part of its iOS app, shoppers with an iPhone 4 or 4S can buy some products simply by scanning the barcode, entering their Apple ID, and walking out with the item.
Limelight Networks today released research confirming that mobile shopping is becoming an increasingly significant factor in driving sales and overall brand affinity. The survey results prove that retailers who create smooth, rich mobile experiences can increase conversions and build their brands with consumers purchasing on their mobile devices, on their computers and in the store.