We can all agree that Mobile commerce is fast becoming the new normal. Reports even indicate that smartphone retail commerce sales are expected to exceed $400billion by 2024. This is excellent news for companies and brands that have taken in mCommerce as part of their business strategy. The Mobile Economy 2022 report from GSMA shows that mCommerce is the next level of business digital transformation for both government and individual organizations seeking to grow after the Covid-19 pandemic. This is because mCommerce improves sales by promoting exposure.
E-Commerce and Sales
Most businesses and brands have an online presence. However, the goal of every business owner is to improve online visibility and maximize profits and output. Hence, beyond the ability to make online sales and provide services online, mCommerce offers the following upgrades:
- Purchase and delivery of digital content
- Electronic boarding passes and tickets
- Mobile money transfers, mobile loyalty cards, and coupons
- In-app payments
- Contactless payments
These benefits make purchases and online shopping easier for everyone. The differences between eCommerce and mCommerce result from mCommerce’s accessibility and ease of use. mCommerce provides several features for users, such as:
- Mobile Payments: Research reveals that over 79% of smartphone users make transactions over their mobile phones. And this trend continues to rise with increased visibility of market brands and businesses.
- Mobile Banking: In previous times, some online transactions were not open to mobile users. However, with the advent of mobile banking, it is now easy to make several bank transactions on tablets and smartphones.
- Mobile Shopping: This is the most common use of mCommerce, mainly because business owners always have a service to render or goods to sell. It is similar to online shopping. The only difference is that there are now dedicated apps for mobile shopping and mobile-optimized websites.
Companies Utilizing Mobile Commerce
With the increasing popularity of mCommerce as a method for attracting a wider portion of the consumer market, several companies such as Sephora, Sodashi, and Target have employed this strategy to rake in massive profits. These three companies have delved into mCommerce and utilized mobile transactions as a marketing tool for promoting their business and services. With mCommerce, they have provided a great customer experience to their clientele, eased the complexities of making online transactions, and improved customer-business relationships.
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Sephora:
Sephora has successfully incorporated mCommerce into its offerings to drive customer satisfaction. In addition to having a mobile app, this famous French makeup and skincare brand has included the augmented reality trend in its mCommerce experience. Thanks to this feature, customers can try out products before purchasing them. With mCommerce, Sephora has built client trust, stayed ahead of competitors, and grown its customer base. mCommerce has dramatically improved the shopping experience for lovers of this brand. It has also led to improved customer retention as clients are more likely to revisit due to the ease of purchase and attractive features provided by mCommerce. Despite being one of several players in the cosmetics space, Sephora has been able to carve out a name for itself as one of the leading beauty and skincare brands, thanks to its adoption of mCommerce.
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Target:
Target is the eighth largest United States retailer and has chain stores worldwide. They are a popular choice for most people seeking to buy everyday products at very affordable prices. However, although this company already commands such a huge following, Target has gone a step further by incorporating mCommerce for making sales and conducting transactions with customers. Target has successfully stayed in touch with recent trends in the mCommerce space to ensure that its customers enjoy the best shopping experience. Some of the mCommerce features they have added include:
- Social Commerce: Target has a presence on most social platforms, including Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram, providing information and easy online shopping for several people.
- Online Stores: Target has access to mobile stores such as Amazon and ships goods to customers worldwide. Target utilizes Amazon’s One-click trend, making it easier for customers to shop using the small screens of their mobile devices and get the best online shopping experience.
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Sodashi:
This store is all about beauty and skincare products. And apart from having a website and an online store, Sodashi has gone one step further by creating a visible online presence via blogs and social media platforms such as Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. It has also delved into the one-click trend that allows mCommerce clients to purchase goods without the overwhelming stress of lengthy forms and unnecessary checks. This has improved the customer experience for Sodashi users and has taken the company’s client retention numbers to the next level.
If you are still yet to decide which is better between eCommerce and mCommerce, you should consider these businesses as a pointer to how much mCommerce can revolutionize your brand and attract more clients.
What’s in mCommerce for you?
While eCommerce is tremendous and has helped build several thriving businesses, the times are now changing. Therefore, to improve your customer user experience, you must move with the new and evolving trends. eCommerce presented some challenges to mobile users, such as restrictions on certain online transactions and banking options. However, with mCommerce, you can overcome these limitations and provide your customers with more opportunities to enjoy a seamless customer experience.
Also, because most customers always utilize their smartphones and tabs, there is a higher chance of selling your online goods and services using mCommerce. Therefore, by adopting mCommerce, you can potentially scale your business and increase your bottom line with ease.
Mcommerce is gaining massive steam in the business world. Many companies are trying to learn the secrets of mCommerce, and you should look into this trend as a tool to upgrade your user experience and drive online traffic. While it is fantastic to have a physical store and outlets for your goods and services, incorporating a mCommerce model is better to ensure that you stay visible and achieve maximum profitability in 2022.
