December 2013 Issue 89

Mobile commerce (mCommerce)

B2B Editor3 December 2013

Mobile commerce (mCommerce)

Australia spent $5.6 billion on mobile devices last year and this trend is continually growing. More than 75% of the population chose mobile devices because of the convenience factor and most people kept their mobile devices close to them throughout the day. The natural progression then is for people to buy goods and services via mobile devices, because it’s accessible, fast and convenient.

Most businesses understand the need for a basic website, but with the increase of mobile and tablet use in Australia and around the world, it’s also very important to optimise your website for mobile devices. Furthermore, you may wish to take advantage of the new mobile use trends and offer your customers the ability to purchase your product or service through mobile or tablet devices.

Convenience is the key factor here. We have already seen the popularity of ‘PayPass’ on credit cards in the last two years, which allows customers to pay over the counter without having to enter their pin or signature.

In the near future, NFC (Near Field Communication) on mobile phones will also pick up. This is where you can simply wave your mobile phone in front of the counter, accept the payment, and check out with ease. There is also a huge growth in the acceptance of eWallet concept around the world where your credit cards can be securely stored and when checking out from an online store, you simply choose the card you need to pay. You don’t need to enter the credit card number, your eWallet takes care of the payment for you. New payment options such as Bitcoin, the peer-to-peer online payment method, are also gaining momentum.

In order to succeed in these changing times, you need to embrace the technology. Start simple. Get a mobile friendly /responsive website first. If you don’t have the budget to redesign your website, you can get a standalone mobile website for under $500. Speed is the key on mobile. Customers have no tolerance for sites that take forever to load. It comes down to user experience (UX). Customers will prefer to buy from your website if it is quick and convenient for them.

To find out how your business can take advantage of mobile commerce, I invite you to book your free 1 hour consultation. Call 1300785230 or send an email to [email protected].

Sam Gupta is the managing director of Synapse Worldwide. If you would like to discuss how your business can take advantage of the social media, please contact Sam on 1300 785 230 or[email protected]
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