Advantages And Disadvantages Of Mobile Commerce

By Author: Shilpi C
Total Articles: 10
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The use of mobile web has increased over the past years. There are almost 1.2 billion mobile web users in the world that makes 17 percent of the global population. The major boost in the growth of mobile device usage is proving beneficial for businesses. Mobile commerce is one of the most benefitted & emerging market in the mobile market.

Mobile commerce is the technology to conduct commerce through a mobile device such as tablet, PDA or smartphone. After the boom of ecommerce, mobile commerce has paved its way into the market. What makes m-Commerce popular amongst consumers is the ability to shop or make payment, irrespective of their current location.

Advantages of m-Commerce

The mobile commerce trend is catching attention of many shopaholics. There are various reasons, which make mCommerce a better option for buyers:
* Mobile devices are present everywhere and have far wider reach than computers. Therefore, it is easier for consumers to use a mobile commerce application to perform transactions.
* With increasing competition, there are higher chances of consumers getting better deals on ...
... mobile commerce sites.
* A mobile commerce app eliminates the need of buyer going to a physical store, which is both time & money saving.
* Consumers can access hundreds of products on their mobile devices, which provide a scope for retailers to increase their reach & overall sales.

Disadvantages of m-commerce

Mobile commerce has certain limitations attached to it:
* Mobile devices have small screen in comparison to laptops & personal computers, which doesn't give a very good shopping experience to buyers.
* Presently, mobile commerce apps have certain limitations related to graphics & functionalities because it is a new technology. Therefore, buyers prefer ecommerce applications.
* Poor web connectivity and slow speed is one more reason that makes the entire product purchase & payment process a hassle for buyer. The wider acceptance of 3G is definitely going to speed-up mCommerce.
* Data transferred across mobile devices & wireless networks have higher risk of getting hacked.
* Developing a mobile commerce application is more expensive than an ecommerce app, therefore, not all retailers go for it.

Some Stats:

Mobile commerce is expected to become a $119 billion market by 2015. 1 out of 5 smartphone users in America scanned QR code in-store in 2011, which shows that consumers are getting adaptive to the emerging technology trends.

* 1 out of 2 Americans is interested in using mobile wallet feature of their smart devices
* The amount of retail purchases made online will be approximately 54% by 2014
* Industry specialists predict that 50% of smart device users will make purchase primarily through mobile wallet
* Men prefer making purchase on their smartphones, while women prefer tablets

Future of mCommerce

There are still some areas where mobile commerce has to improve such as secured transaction, enhanced graphics, and better shopping experience. Mobile application development companies are continuously working towards improving the quality of apps and giving a rich user experience. So, we can predict that coming years are certainly going to be great for mobile commerce market.

Copper Mobile is one of the leading mobile app developers, ipad application developers and iPhone app developer company providing mobile app solutions to enterprises.