Originally published at: http://www.sitepoint.com/mobile-commerce-trends-2015/
2014 was the year mobile commerce came of age, heralded with the launch of Apple Pay in October. It was one of the tech company’s key innovations within the iPhone 6, which integrated NFC technology with easy point of sale (POS) transacting.
In other words, the iPhone 6 provided the ability to tap your phone to another NFC equipped device and pay for purchases at real world stores. Of course, using your smartphone as your credit card isn’t, on the face of it, any more exciting that using it as a flashlight. However, Apple’s entry into the world of online payment is about much more than just its latest smartphone wizardry. It adds to the growing number of web companies as towering and diverse as Google and Amazon, who are looking to process cash.
What this means for the online business owner is that 2015 is likely to provide more opportunities and more diverging trends to keep abreast of.
Looking Down The Road
By 2015, US internet users will join a growing list of countries that access the web through mobile devices more than through PCs. The macro trend for the coming year is clear as the variety and complexity of devices continues to grow. In fact, Goldman Sachs is already predicting that consumer spending via mobile commerce will grow to $626 billion by 2018.
However, the term mobile commerce is a rabbit hole which can easily apply to a range of divergent technologies that are available on touch devices. A Square-enabled mobile POS, FeLiCa’s tap-to-pay system at train stations, a game offering in-app purchases and a retailer’s mobile-enabled website all fit the criteria, but there’s very little overlap between them.
There are many areas into which mobile commerce can be categorized. For now, these are the big six:
- Commerce website accessed via mobile device
- Mobile-optimized/responsive website purchase via device
- Mobile device payment at retail POS
- Mobile app-only purchases (e.g. Uber, Square)
- In-app social media purchases (e.g. Facebook, Twitter)
- Mobile-specific rewards, couponing to drive physical store traffic/transactions
Let’s look at the trends to expect in the industry in 2015. I’ve based them on existing market indicators and new technological innovations.
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