m-Commerce revolution

According to E-Commerce Times U.S. mobile commerce sales reached US$1.20 billion in 2009 and is forecast to increase to $2.4 billion in 2010.

You'd expect online retailers would be eager to embrace the m-commerce revolution. m-commerce providers huge potential for e-commerce providers to create new revenue streams for their existing e-commerce businesses by creating a beneficial shopping experience through web-enabled devices.

Yet statistics disclose that despite the huge expansion of mobile commerce or m-commerce, a staggering 62% of retailers havn't yet commenced planning their mobile strategies, whilst others are only in the embryonic phase of doing so.

This isn't a modest task given that online retailers need to consider preserving their existing customer relationships across other mediums, and carve out a strategy that takes into account their customer's buying behaviours and a satisfactory web to mobile search solution. The success of a m-commerce strategy is contingent on personalising the shopping experience and fine tuning web sites to achieve better conversion rates.

Savvy online retailers serious embarking upon a viable strategy will have to explore quick, relevant results that are able to yield outstanding mobile shopping experiences to their valued customers.

What are the key elements of a well devised m-commerce strategy?

Firstly, it is necessary for a retailer to identify relevant mobile site content and features. Delivering an online business for the mobile market necessarily involves evaluating one's existing website to see which features will be critical to customers in the mobile environment.

However it isn't just a matter of reviewing an existing website but really understanding how customers perceive and relate to the mobile shopping experience as a whole. Your m-commerce site should not just be a scaled down version of your regular website. You need to research your shoppers to investigate the manner in which they navigate in order to locate products to purchase via a mobile device. This process will enable you to ascertain what should be different between the website and mobile website environments. It's all about usability in mobile search.

The importance of search in the mobile users' browsing experience can't be underestimated. There isn't a lot of room for users to navigate from page to page or service to service due to space constraints. Slow page loading on networks means that pages means slim, lightweight solutions.

A search box is the best way for locating products and content on your site. If you don't have fast, relevant site search functionality, m-commerce will not be able to create the appropriate environment to encourage shoppers to visit shops and purchase products from their phones and other web-enabled gadgets.

Given the constraints, there are some factors to bear in mind in ensuring the site search feature on your mobile site is user friendly to shoppers. The search box needs to be positioned prominently on a mobile site, more so than on a conventional e-commerce site. Given the restrictions of space search results should be as relevant as possible, returning the most relevant results from a users' keyword search. Where users have to scroll through pages of results this just consumes time requiring additional page loads. Ideally relevant search results should be displayed on the first page of the screen.

Images should be light, small and not slow down page loads. Once again constraints of screen space mean there is no provision for voluminous produce descriptions or numerous site navigation links you might discover on normal websites.

Consumer engagement is more likely to be achieved through making a customer feel they are using an app rather than a conventional website, something which can be accomplished through good formatting of an m-commerce site.

Providing consumers with access to product reviews whilst shopping on location are an excellent way to entice a customer to make purchasing decision. Features that enable shoppers to discover local search results by keying in area codes to locate stores near then with stock inventory is seen as an important component of an m-commerce strategy. To perfect the experience retailers who want to persuade customers to make that online purchasing decision can provide a facility for them to reserve items so that they can pick items up at a later time after they have finished their shopping.

Check out this great video on the future of m-commerce:

Mobile Monopoly Scam Review

There are no shortage of scams in the internet marketing space. Mobile Marketing is the next big thing and Mobile Monopoly is worth a plug given the value it offers

It's founder Adam Horwitz promises riches over the internet by making use of your mobile phones using the process he has mapped out in a manner which anyone can follow. Since the tender age of 18 years old Horwitz has made millions of dollars selling other products on Clickbank including Cell Phone Treasure, Tycoon Cashflow and Dude I Hate My Job!

Retailing at $77 it consists of online classes plus lessons, and instructs the buyer by a step by step guide as to the simplest way to generate internet riches using their cell phones.

Apparently you can turn your mobile phone into an ATM cash machine by purchasing this package. Get ahead of the mobile marketing game and grab yourself a copy ....Click Here!

Worth Monkey Product Search for electronics

Zippy Cart Review features an interesting article on Worth Monkey, a California start up is aiming at the lucrative consumer electronics market in launching it's blue book search engine in an effort to provide buyers and sellers with accurate product estimates. Worth Monkey displays a bell curve graph to users giving them information as to what it estimates is a great price, a fair price and what is overpriced for an item. Their monetisation model entails displaying relevant results from outlets such as Craigslist, ebay and Amazon to assist shoppers in making a purchase.

Mobile Shopping on the rise

Retrevo.com has released a report which explores mobile users shopping habits online via their smart phones.

The analysis reveals which type of consumers are most likely to use m-commerce.

Mobile commerce is the next big thing however there will be many factors that will converge to contribute to it's potential rise in popularity.

Eric Schmidt recently predicated that whilst the outlook for mobile search and mobile commerce is optimistic, it will take a while for it to constitute the majority of the revenue.

Retrevo's research reveals that consumers who own an Apple iPhone are more likely to shop online from their phones than those consumers who own Google Android or Blackberries. Whilst iPhone and Android users are quite close in using their mobile phones to make purchases, blackberry owners lag behind the Android and iPhone by comparison.

The race for mobile commerce dominance is already well underway. Over the next couple of years it will start to emerge who the victor will be.

Meanwhile top luxury brands seemed determined to be a party of the exploding mobile device shopping affair. Luxury Institute research on the wealthy consumer use of mobile devices discloses that 76% compare prices via mobile devices, while a rapidly growing 27% have made purchases via a mobile device. 21% of wealthy consumers report using their mobile phones to look up product information whilst shopping in stores. Leading luxury brands are preparing to use mobile applications to create simple and seamless customer shopping experiences. Tiffany's mobile application for finding that perfect engagement ring is a leading example of interactive innovation to serve it's customers. It features a ring sizer that allowers users to determine their size by placing an actual ring on the screen and using the slider to align the circle with the inside of the ring.

Starbucks is also trialling it's O2 location-based mobile marketing service. This will involve targeting mobile ads to opted in customers. The location based mobile marketing service uses geo-fencing technology causing an ad to be sent to a user's mobile phone when they enter a location proximate to a mobile phone tower. These geo-fenced areas are owned by various brands and are sent by brand owners and retailers to O2 customers who have registered an interest in their products.

Mobile Ad Spending increases almost 80% in 2010

According to eMarketer US mobile ad spending is up nearly 80% reaching $743 million. eMarketer forecasts that US mobile ad spending will rise to $2.5 billion by 2014.

Video, display and search ad spending on mobile is predicted to double this year, attributable to the rapid expansion of smartphone usage. "Google’s acquisition of AdMob and Apple’s introduction of the iAd" explain part of the increase in projections.

According to the report released by eMarketer there will be a shift in text messaging, currently the largest form of mobile advertising to newer formats like video and display which will surpass text messaging.

Other trends to monitor closely include geolocation, the development of mobile websites in preference to mobile applications as rich media evolves on mobiles.

mCommerce

If you have an ecommerce website and are considering extending your website business through a mobile site design, it is prudent to consider engaging a professional mobile web designer.

A mobile web designer should understand the limitations associated with mobile phones on the market.

Other challenges are how to get your new mobile site listed in the mobile website directories, select appropriate and to effectively link your website to your .mobi website to your existing website.

When launching a .mobi website it is important to note that the html or code employed to build a normal webpage is different compared to the code which is necessary to build a site which is visible to mobile phone users.

Web page design for mobile phones and other hand held devices is different than the web design
used for a typical website.

If you are intending to extend your website to a mobile site it is fundamental to understand the differences between the various mobile phones which have access to the internet. Distinguish between web enabled cell phones and smart phones such as the iPhone and Google Droid which operate as mini computers. Smart phones access the internet in a similar way that a desktop computer accesses the internet. By way of contrast web enabled phones are only able to access mobile websites, namely websites ending in the .mobi extension.

Web enabled phones only display text, not pictures, whereas smart phones can not only access your regular website and see everything on it, and scroll endlessly. Good mobile web design needs to consider the smart phone user experience in this regard. Smaller and fewer graphics are considered more appropriate for mobile websites with less text. Text content should be concise as mobile phone users won't have the time to read vast tracts of text.

The ideal way to provide an ideal customer experience for a smart phone user is to provide a .mobi website, being specifically tailored to the needs of mobile phone users. Such a website, properly designed, might still incorporate graphics for phones able to visualise them, but still be constructed in a way that is best adapted to mobile phone browsers.

Mobile phone site navigation should be clear, to make it easy for mobile phone users to locate what they are searching for. It is recommended that pages on a mobile site be limited to a maximum of eight pages, which should contain contact information including phone numbers and driving directions.

It is a good idea to include RSS feeds for mobile phone users to subscribe to, as this will make it easier for them to keep up to date about any significant events or promotions you are running.

Good mobile web design might mean ensuring that banner and text ads fit well inside the screen of a mobile phone user, in addition to text and links that are selected for mobile phone browsers.

Mobile website design is critical as the focus of search shifts increasingly from desktop communications to mobile phones.

With the increase in mobile phone use, mobile ecommerce or mcommerce is definitely on the rise. There has been a huge increase in the number of mobile app stores with both mobile video usage and mobile ad markets witnessing rapid growth. The mobile ad market is expected to exceed $13 billion in the Asia Pacific region, in front of North America and Europe.

At present however mobile ecommerce or m-commerce is struggling to take, with users refraining from making purchases via their mobile phone.

One of the reasons for this which emerges from surveys is that shoppers and retailers alike are concerned over privacy and security issues, meaning retailers have been slow to introduce their mobile commerce plans.

Another complication is the number of platforms available on mobile phones and the lack of standardisation. Mobile retailers need to tread cautiously in the mobile platforms they choose to support.

There is every indication however m-commerce could be successful providing there were sufficient mobile apps and shopping opportunities available. Mobile payments firms are already reporting that mobile phone users are prepared to purchase small ticket items using their mobile phones.

Last year Pricegrabber.com conducted a survey which revealed early adopters of m-commerce were prepared to purchase higher priced items such as clothing and consumer electronics. The ultimate success of m-commerce will depend on the number of m-commerce applications developed and the number of mobile commerce platforms.

It is only a matter of time before ecommerce merchants make their products more readily available through mobile phones. At present the main payment mechanism available is credit or debit cards.

The mobile browsing experience is presently vastly inferior to that offered on desktop computers. The full potential for m-commerce is apparent in Japan where users can use their phone to scan ads and posters to purchase something and have it delivered to them automatically.

There are barriers that mobile website merchants can dismantle to improve the saleability of their products and services through m-commerce. M-commerce merchants need to assist mobile users to find their mobile websites. It is important to remember that the link from your website to your mobile website is not only memorable but also easy to type into a mobile phone.

Other useful strategies are to add the word mobile to your website domain name eg www.website.com/mobile and to use a .mobi extension with your brand name such as www.website.mobi.

A big problem with mobile internet connections is that they can be unstable in low signal areas which is not as important if they are engaged in passively consuming information. However if disconnected in the midst of a transaction mobile phone users are likely to be left uncertain as to whether their transaction was completed.

Whilst there is little that mobile commerce merchants can do about poor network connectivity and coverage, there are practical steps that they can take in order to ensure that mobile phone users are encouraged to participate in purchasing items using their mobile phones. One measure would be to ensure that all details entered in each step of a transaction are saved so that items placed in a shopping basket or shipping details are salvaged in the event of a disconnection.

Other measures include capturing email addresses or mobile phone details at the commencement of a transaction so that the prospective customer can be sent instructions to enable them to continue with a transaction that has been interrupted. This does not occur for instance on the Amazon website so that a shopping cart is not re-instated.

Data entry of credit card numbers and addresses isn't as easy for mobile phone users on mobile phones as it is on full keyboards. Therefore it is wise to take steps to minimise data entry wherever possible. This can be achieved by permitted customers to log in using the same username and password which they use on the main website to retrieve the shipping and billing information which is stored in their account with you. Another strategy is to encourage customers to create an account to expedite future transactions. Payment integration with third party payment providers which require only the use of a username and password is a further step to increase the participation of mobile phone users in purchasing goods and/or services from your mobile website.

Pre-registration processes are likely to frustrate mobile phone users and dissuade them from engaging in m-commerce.

The security of online transactions has been cited as a major deterrent to consumers considering transacting via their mobile phone. Desktop web browsers provide consumers information about the security of websites providing re-assurance and protection to consumers concerned about providing their credit card information to fraudulent websites.

There are a few ways you can allay consumer fears about security of m-commerce transactions. Firstly you might display a message on your homepage stating that your website is secure. As stated above, by ensuring that mobile phone users don't have to enter credit card information through their mobile phones, and can rely on the log in information to utilise their stored information you are providing re-assurance.

Providing a satisfactory mobile user experience is extremely important, and this extends to providing information to the mobile phone user to track and monitor the progress of any orders they make, such as providing confirmation of ticket or other purchases.

By addressing a few design and functionality issues, you can affect the willingness of mobile phone users to engage in and embrace m-commerce.

Ecommerce Websites

According to Practical eCommerce there are over 500 different shopping carts available which offer your customers similar kinds of services.

You need to decide the most appropriate solution to suit your needs depending on what kind of industry you operate within and your point of difference.

Ecommerce merchants should be focused on usability, functionality, design and security, and be familiar with best practices in eCommerce.

The following are some of the desirable features you might seek in an eCommerce solution:

1. An intuitive web based administration control panel - you want an admin panel that is user friendly, allowing you to control every aspect of your online store. It is within the administration control panel that you want to have the ability to manage customer orders, product data including prices, product descriptions and photos, email newsletter subscribers, storefront look and feel, shipping rates and taxes. Order and category management and payment methods are other aspects of you website that you may control from the panel.

2. Bulk upload capability of categories, products and images

3. Shopping Cart Data Import/Export - Full import and export capabilities of product/user/order/language databases in CSV format. You may also want the ability to export to google base and Quickbooks. Having a flexible import/export module means you can get data in and out of your web store as a CSV file.

4. Custom Store Design: A visually appealing website helps to capture the attention of visitors and projects a professional image. By prominently displaying your logo, your designer your customers will come to associate your products with your brand. When engaging a designer to design a website, make sure you ascertain what the package you are being offered includes. Pay regard to the positioning of your logo, the ability to modify colour schemes to match your logo and the graphic design of your home page.

5. A system that doesn't mean you have to have programming knowledge to install and set up.

6. Product and category pages with category/product thumbnails and detailed images on product pages, making your page more SEO friendly

7. A fast one page checkout process as opposed to a multipage checkout - The entire checkout process should be completed on one screen to maximum sales. Less user clicks leads to less abandoned carts and greater sales. Offering fast track guest checkout permits your customers to complete purchases without having to go through the tortuous process of setting up a user account. You might also want to capture extra information by using custom checkout fields.

7. Suitable eCommerce Web Hosting - Bear in mind you are renting server space and the cost will depend on the disk space you occupy and bandwidth you consume. Therefore the time your customers take accessing your website should naturally factor into this. Most eCcommerce web hosting providers charge variable rates irrespective of how many products you have in your store, whilst some will give you a guarantee of unlimited hosting meaning no hidden data or bandwidth bills.

8. A search engine friendly shopping cart - Search engine optimisation must be a critical plank in your internet marketing strategy for your store. Therefore the software should contain a search engine friendly shopping cart. Most web visitors, in the vicinity of 85% find information via search engines, being perceived of as unbiased relevant information sources. Customers may be searching in order to buy your product or service. You need to distinguish between the hunters and the browsers. Most customers find online sellers through search engines, directly through a store's URL, search engine shopping channels, marketing email, internet ads, or comparison bots and comparison sites.

Remember that websites fall into two categories, static websites with all data stored within html pages and dynamic websites where the data is stored within a database. Shopping cart sites are dynamic because they rely on data such as information, prices and products. The problem with database driven websites is that they aren't often designed for search engines. The majority of shopping cart software isn't inherently designed to be SEO friendly. You still need to have a good search engine campaign to drive traffic to your website.

It is desirable to have a website with at least the potential to support an unlimited number of products/category and sub-category nesting, giving you the flexibility to assign products to multiple categories.

There are many other features of eCommerce solutions that are found in modern eCommerce based solutions. These will be canvassed in greater detail including analytics, a good inventory control system, shipping and taxes features amongst many others.

An eCommerce website solution is much more than a simple shopping cart.