Advantages of Mobile Commerce

There’s no doubt that mobile web use is growing. Recent reports show that worldwide cellular networks are experiencing a major boost. In fact, there are even suspicions that the current infrastructure won’t be able to keep up with the new demands. 3G traffic in markets will grow by 20% by the end of 2014. There is a forecast which reveals that more than a third of Europeans will be using mobile internet by 2014.

Consumers have come to use mobile phones for shopping online. It’s fast, you can do it anywhere and you don’t need a PC – just your one thing you carry everywhere with you. Mobile phone users think that they would shop using their mobile devices more if the procedure was not so burdensome, products were easier to find and their devices supported secure credit card transactions. So as business owners you should take all this into account.

But let’s see what are the main advantages that mobile commerce will bring you:

1. Flexible accessibility. Users can be accessible through their mobile phones and at the same time be accessible online too by logging on to various mobile messengers like Facebook, Twitter, Gmail and other networking platforms.
2. Easy connectivity. As long as the network signal is available, mobile devices can connect to the internet and perform commercial transactions, mobile to mobile and even mobile to other devices. No need for modem or WI-FI connectivity set up.
3. Time efficient. Performing m-commerce transactions doesn’t require the user to plug anything like desktop computers or wait for the laptop to load. Just push the on button of your mobile device and you are ready to go.
4. In-store rewards. In stores with NFC and/or QR code support, customers can obtain exclusive savings right at the point of sale simply by scanning with their smartphones. There are lots of free applications for scanning QR codes (for Android, for Apple, for Windows Phone, for BlackBerry).

Mobile Commerce Business

For almost all business sectors using mobile payment options, this is the best option available. Consider these steps if you’re looking into considering mobile payments for your business.

1. Research your options. While several types of mobile fund transfers are available, for most businesses there are two basic options. The first is to use a tablet or a smartphone with a card reader gadget to perform credit card payments. The second choice is to offer “contactless payments.” This allows clients to pay for products and services by using virtual credit card information stored on a smartphone that communicates wirelessly with a nearby payment terminal.
2. Contact your bank. If your company already has a merchant account with a major national bank, inquire if it offers a mobile payment service as an extension of your current business bank account. If your bank doesn’t support mobile payments, third-party mobile card readers offer the easiest access ramp to mobile transactions.
3. Get connected. No matter which mobile commerce option you’re in, you’ll need to integrate that system with your existing check-out system. Altogether, smartphone selling point and contactless payments can make sense for some types of businesses and help making easier the payment process. Whilst mobile commerce can seem like an attractive option, you’ll need to decide if it is something your clients and your company are ready to adopt.