Mobile commerce has become the need of the hour for all businesses to strengthen their e-commerce game and increase their conversion rate.
Smartphones and the internet have become the other basic necessities of humans after food, water, and shelter. According to industry experts, the user number of smartphones is likely to reach 7.1 billion by the end of 2024.
Individuals today heavily rely on their smartphones to do their daily activities like gathering information, getting entertainment, and shopping.
According to a report by Dynamic Yield Research titled “The State of Personalization in Mobile Commerce,” approximately 76% of respondents shop on mobile devices because it saves them time.
Marketers need to design and implement the best mobile commerce campaigns to increase their brand awareness and sales conversions. In this blog, let us have a look at how mobile commerce is the future of E-commerce.
What is Mobile Commerce?
The ability to buy and sell goods or services from virtually anywhere by utilizing a mobile phone or tablet is a breakthrough in e-commerce.
However, mobile commerce goes beyond being a straightforward development of electronic commerce.
Additionally, it has aided in the growth of previously existing industries and services or encouraged the emergence of new ones, including:
- Transfers of money via mobile devices.
- Electronic boarding passes and tickets.
- Delivery and purchases of digital content.
- Banking on the go.
- In-app purchases and contactless payments.
- Services based on location.
- Coupons, loyalty cards, and mobile marketing.
In What Ways Does Mobile Commerce Present Itself in Different Guises?
Although there is a vast variety of transactions included in mobile commerce, they may all be categorized into one of three groups:
Mobile shopping
Although available from your iPhone or Android, this is largely comparable to e-commerce. Through mobile-optimized websites, specialized shopping apps, and even social media platforms, mobile shopping is now available.
Mobile banking
Although there are some transaction types that may be limited or restricted on mobile devices, mobile banking is generally similar to online banking. However, several banks have begun experimenting with the usage of chatbots and messaging apps in place of traditional mobile banking software.
Mobile payments
Due to the wide variety of mobile payment alternatives available, we have decided to discuss each one in greater detail in the next section of this article.
Your exposure to and interest in mobile commerce as a business owner and BigCommerce user would likely center on payments and shopping, so that is what the rest of this post will address.
What Makes Mobile Commerce Stand Out with Its Common Benefits?
Larger companies like Amazon and Walmart may have been the only ones with the opportunity to create mobile apps in the past and migrate to mobile-friendly platforms, but as the cost of going mobile declines, more and more businesses are able to profit.
Therefore, whether you manage a small or large firm, keep reading to find out some of the key advantages of mobile commerce and how it may support business growth.
Enhancing Customer Experience
Shopping has changed dramatically since the introduction of e-commerce. Customers would be able to access a broader variety of products, rapidly compare prices, and buy from the comfort of their homes if they could shop from their desktop computers rather than going into a store.
The phone in their back pocket is now all that is necessary for buyers to carry out all of these tasks. They no longer even require a desktop computer.
Additionally, due to its very nature, m-commerce offers some features that e-commerce just does not have. Examples include:
- Mobility: Despite the fact that desktop computers are transportable, it’s doubtful that a shopper will always have a laptop with them. The majority of individuals, however, never leave the house without their smartphone, therefore m-commerce makes internet shopping much more practical.
- Reachability: Online shops may reach a bigger consumer base even while they are on the go by having the option to send customers SMS push notifications.
- Location-tracking: With the use of GPS and Wi-Fi, m-commerce apps and online shops can determine where users are in real-time, enabling the delivery of personalized and geo-targeted information.
Tremendous Room for Growth
The sector is still growing despite the fact that mobile commerce has a sizable user base now.
It was projected that 6% of all US retail sales in 2021 would come from mobile e-commerce. Nevertheless, Statista predicts that by 2025, m-commerce sales will account for nearly 10% of total US retail sales, an increase of 7% percentage points from 2018.
A Complete Omnichannel Experience
Selling both offline and online across several platforms, such as your e-commerce website, Amazon, eBay, Instagram, etc., in order to provide a smooth user experience and a consistent brand message across all touchpoints is known as omnichannel commerce.
Creating an omnichannel experience is more than that, though; it’s about going where your customers are and making it simpler for them to make a purchase.
Mobile devices are the ideal platform for omnichannel shopping since you can assume that the vast majority of your customers always have their phones on them.
Diverse Range of Payment Methods
Emerging mobile payment solutions have paved the way for a number of payment methods, including Apple Pay, PayPal One-Touch, Visa Checkout, and Amazon Pay, to make the purchasing experience simpler.
In the present day, numerous e-commerce platforms offer the convenience of one-click checkout, enabling users to input their payment details once and enjoy seamless transactions for all subsequent purchases.
Also Read: A Comprehensive Guide on B2B eCommerce
Mobile Commerce Trends in 2024
1. AI-Driven Customization
Implementing AI tools in the MarTech stack will allow marketers to improve user experience by leveraging AI-driven recommendations and chatbots.
2. Social Commerce
Users heavily rely on the most popular social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook to shop. Businesses need to consider social commerce as one of their priority mobile commerce trends in 2024 to increase their conversion rate.
3. Mobile Wallets and Contactless Payments
There has been a significant amount of growth in mobile wallets with contactless payment options. Businesses need to adapt to mobile wallets such as Apple Pay to enhance the payment experience.
4. Augmented Reality (AR)
Even though AR technologies are in their nascent stage, marketers need to explore opportunities to seize this technology in their MarTech stack. Marketers should make virtual try-ons and interactive product views available for consumers to enhance the buying experience.
5. Voice Commerce
Individuals today use voice assistants like Siri and Alexa for shopping purposes. Collaborating with the search engines of these brands will help to increase the brand visibility.
6. Seamless Omnichannel Experiences
Omnichannel marketing is on the rise; integrating multiple channels to market the product will help enhance the customer journey. Unifying the online and offline customer journey will assist in delivering a seamless customer experience.
Mobile Commerce Is the Need of the Hour
Mobile commerce is not a trend that will vanish in the upcoming years and will flourish with time. Business decision-makers need to adapt to mobile commerce strategies to increase their brand awareness and have a higher conversion rate. As smartphones have become a more integral part of human life and changed the ways we connect, get information and shop, mobile commerce is no longer an option for businesses but a requirement. It is crucial for marketers to embrace omnichannel marketing to ensure success and make shopping accessible to customers.