The mobile commerce market in 2014

Table of Contents

  1. Summary
  2. Introduction
  3. Mobile trends to watch (12 to 24 months)
  4. The rise of third-party technology providers
  5. Outlook and recommendations
  6. Key takeaways
  7. About Kristina J. Yee

1. Summary

Over the next two years companies will shift resources towards mobility initiatives and move ownership of mobile operations from outsourced production agencies towards in-house hybrid models. Internal management will take on more of the responsibility for understanding and supporting the high expectations of the rapidly expanding mobile-enabled customer segment. This trend will in turn drive innovation in mobile commerce as retailers and the technology providers that work with them focus on both enhancing the customer’s mobile experience to protect and extend their brands and building loyalty and increasing sales conversion rates.

Currently leaders like Starbucks are partnering with mobile-first technology platforms like Square as well as developing their own mobile-commerce platforms and business systems to create a rewarding and seamless mobile experience for the user. While other retailers can learn from such examples, they must also take a hard look at which app or mobile web strategies are appropriate for their business. The size of the mobile commerce market is growing, but only those companies that execute properly will gain any traction.

Key findings from the report include:

  • Consumer-facing companies will rapidly become more facile in their response to mobile user behavior, thereby driving user adoption.
  • App burnout and perceived app privacy intrusions will result in a return to the mobile web for transactions.
  • One-stop shops for consolidated goods and services will gain ground over specialty retailers and themed service providers — but only if they provide mobile experiences that are best-of-breed.
  • The line between technologists, retailers, and service organizations will continue to blur behind the scenes while consumer behavior and mobile-first innovators such as Uber drive the bar higher for seamless mobile interactions and transactions.
  • Unlike the mobile-payments sector, which relies on universal standards and mass adoption for economies of scale, mobile commerce itself will flourish via closed ecosystems.
  • Companies will use brand loyalty, customer proximity/mindshare, and mobile-centric innovation to drive adoption and repeat use of proprietary mobile-commerce offerings, creating regional and user-interest based mobile marketplaces.
  • The availability of lower-cost smartphones and affordable set-fee data payment plans will drive increased mobile device ownership and overall mobile commerce.
  • A growing number of Wi-Fi hot spots and the emergence of high-performance private networks will drive consumer mobile usage up significantly.

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