Complete guide for m-commerce in 2022

Understanding the world of m-commerce has become very important for owners of online business. According to Half of online retail sales come from smartphone purchases, and this figure is expected to increase over the years.

This article will explain what mobile commerce is, how it differs from e-commerce, and its different types. We will also show the benefits of m-commerce for companies and the best practices to implement for your shopping experience.

What is m-commerce and why is it important?

Also know as m commerce, refers to any transactional activity carried out through a mobile device. It can range from the purchase and sale of goods to the transfer of money between individuals.

The mobile commerce sector has grown significantly in recent years, in parallel with the growing number of smartphone users.

One of the factors that explains this increase is comfort. Consumers can purchase products and services on the go using a mobile device. Innovations such as digital wallets and purchases through social networks have also made the user experience much more seamless.

Due to this trend, smartphone users now dominate e-commerce site traffic. According to , customers who use mobiles represent around 70% of visits to online stores in most sectors.

Failing to offer a great online shopping experience can seriously hurt your business.

One of the reasons is that Google prioritizes websites on its search engine results pages. With this policy, stores that are not prepared can lose some potential traffic.

Encouraging visitors to buy from your store will also be much more difficult. The report shows that the 57% of users will not recommend a business with a poor design for mobile phones.

Due to these advances, many online businesses are recognizing the importance of this.

m-commerce vs. eCommerce

The term eCommerce, short for electronic commerce, refers to all monetary transactions made online. As such, it takes into account trades made across all internet devices, including desktop and mobile.

On the other hand, m-commerce applies only to business activities carried out through mobile phones, such as smartphones, tablets and wearable devices. Therefore, it can be considered a subcategory of electronic commerce. Optimizing for m-commerce is often considered a marketing strategy. e-commerce marketing.

Types of m-commerce

Most m-commerce activities can fall into one of the following categories:

1. Mobile shopping

This type of m-commerce involves the buying and selling of products and services through a smartphone. From the consumer’s point of view, activities within this category can range from searching for products on a smartphone to ordering a ride through an app.

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From the point of view of companies, it can be about marketing practices of products and services. Some examples are posting purchases on stores, sending location-based SMS ads, or using push notifications in mobile apps.

2. Mobile banking

This term refers to access to banking services through a mobile device, such as depositing checks or checking account balances. Many banks have their own mobile app and website, although some also allow SMS services.

Mobile banking has also contributed to the rise of digital-only banks, such as .

3. Mobile payments

This category consists of sending and receiving money, usually through a mobile application.

Thanks to mobile commerce, new payment solutions have emerged, such as digital wallets. Users can use them to pay for their online or offline purchases using their smartphones instead of credit cards or cash.

Peer-to-peer payment apps, such as , are also on the rise, allowing consumers to transfer and accept money from others.

Advantages of m-commerce from a business point of view

M-commerce is increasingly necessary for online businesses to thrive. If you are not sure about adopting this trend, here are several advantages that you should take into account:

  • Immediate connection with the public. Mobile commerce presents the opportunity to reach your customers through the device they interact with the most: smartphones.
  • Improved customer experience. The shows that this aspect can influence users to stay and make a purchase. It can also lead to 9 out of 10 users to repeat the purchase in the future, which means a higher return on investment.
  • Greater range. Mobile devices now account for around the . Failure to serve these visitors can cost you a huge sum of potential business sales.
  • Access to the market of young consumers. They show that Gen Z and millennial customers prefer online shopping via mobile compared to other generations. Both groups have a large , so adapting to these markets can be profitable.
  • Deep analysis. Mobile commerce solutions allow businesses to access more information about users, from location tracking to browsing behavior. In this way, a more personalized marketing strategy can be developed, which can lead to higher profits.

Challenges and drawbacks of m-commerce

Although this type of trading offers many opportunities, it also has obstacles to overcome.

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On the one hand, it requires continuous optimization. Users may develop new behaviors and unique design practices may emerge that alter the shopping experience on mobile phones. Therefore, it is good to keep up with the latest trends and perform usability tests regularly.

Since m-commerce platforms can access specific private information, special rules must also be followed, such as the particular guidelines of the for mobile payments.

To avoid violating your customers’ trust, make sure your website and app are compliant. One way to do this is to choose a PCI-certified hosting provider and a trusted payment solution, such as PayPal.

Revealing the type of data you collect on the page will also inspire confidence in visitors.

Another challenge to consider is that customers will find it easier to compare prices through mobile devices. They can switch between tabs, apps, or social networks to see which brand offers the best value for money.

Keeping track of similar businesses can be a good practice to keep an eye on the competition. Pay attention to the advantages they offer and how much their products and services cost.

If you have an international business, you may also need to manage multiple localized mobile payments.

Lastly, mobile commerce can be an expensive investment if you want to build an eCommerce app.

According to , the total cost of developing mobile applications can range between 30,000 Y 170,000 Dollars. If you don’t have that budget, optimizing your website and adapting it to mobile devices should do the trick in the meantime.

How to design and implement a great m-commerce experience

Now that you know its advantages and disadvantages, let’s see how to improve the experience of your customers.

Use a design adapted to mobile devices

The first step is to make sure your site is Here are some practices to keep in mind when creating an online store:

  • Use a mobile friendly template. The layout will fit easily on screens large and small. This way, you don’t have to create separate layouts for desktop, tablet, and mobile devices.
  • Make call-to-action buttons easy to tap. The size, spacing, and shape should make it easy for users to click on the element.
  • Includes a hamburger menu. The three-line button will show or hide links to other pages when clicked. That way, it won’t take up tons of space on smaller screens.
  • Includes a search function. This feature allows users to find what they’re looking for much faster, which will come in handy if your eCommerce site is content-heavy.
  • Minimize popups. Although they are great at collecting user information, they can be intrusive to customers. Without proper setup, they can also cost a penalty from Google.
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Increase mobile website speed

The loading speed of a site can affect a business. suggests that the ideal speed for mobile commerce sites is one second or less. Otherwise, customers may go to the competition or tell a friend about their bad experience.

Not to mention that Google considers page load time as a . Therefore, the time it takes for your page to open can determine whether it can gain organic traffic in the first place.

With this, here are some ways to improve speed on mobile:

  • Choose a reliable web host. Without a fast hosting service, any speed optimization efforts will have little effect.
  • Enable caching. This practice will allow the content of your website to be stored in the user’s browser. This way, the browser can load this information the second time the customer visits the store instead of downloading all the data from scratch.
  • Optimize images. Reducing the size of these files can make them load much faster. Use image compression tools to help you with this.
  • Reduce the code of the web page. Removing unnecessary code can reduce the weight of your web page and increase the loading time.

Make the product presentation customer friendly

Creating an attractive, clear and functional product presentation can convince users that your item is worth buying.

The challenge with mobile devices is that screens are smaller, which makes space seem limited. However, there are ways around it:

  • Prepare a concise text. Mobile users tend to skip content, so it’s best to keep product information short. Describe your products in a maximum of three sentences. Use bullet points for details like material or care instructions.
  • Admit the movements of…
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