With the advent of smart phones along with the capability of accessing websites and making the desired transactions, a new platform was created known as mobile eCommerce or mCommerce.
The mCommerce revenues are subject to grow in the years to come. There is a drastic increase in the number of mobile devices through which people are making purchases through their phones; this started when the iPhone was launched and it started making waves. At present, there are several prominent smart phone and tablet providers and the count of new devices is specifically increasing. In light of the fact that the mobile internet use has significantly increased since 2009, there is no question that the internet users will have a great focus on mCommerce. This is the phase where everyone is focused on creating a mCommerce strategy that addresses every angle of mobile commerce; this is the best possible way of tapping into the huge potential of smart phones and also getting a better exposure.
Implementing a mCommerce strategy has become complicated with the advent of the first generation of smart phones. Initially, the online store website owners worked on a segmented approach for creating the mCommerce websites to run independently through their flagship websites. Basically, the mobile websites were scaled down in order to fit the smart phone interface. Screen dimensions came into the picture with the introduction of tablets ? something more than a smart phone and something less than a PC / laptop. With respect to the segmented approach, businesses required to maintain three different websites for reaching out to all the platforms; further this meant three different projects and three different sets of costs involved. In terms of cost, it was not just the initial investment but the costs had to be incurred any time on any of the projects that needed maintenance or updates.
What do you get with mobile eCommerce?
Wider Reach
Mobile applications provide with a bigger appeal as the consumers carry their smart?phones every where they go.
Convenient Shopping
Along with the integrated payment solutions, apps make one touch shopping easier from anywhere and at any time. In case the support functions are also integrated into the apps, then it becomes a complete sales solution.
Competitive Edge
By having multiple channels for information and sales, you will surely get a competitive edge over the strong players in the market.
If you are looking ahead at establishing presence in the mCommerce industry that is in the growth phase, here is what you should be asking yourself:
Should you develop dedicated mobile applications?
Most of the mobiles don?t not include the two major attributes ? computing power and desktop storage. Therefore, when a user tries to access a website through a web browser present on the mobile device; it is not an optimal experience. The dedicated mobile applications that are commonly known as ?apps? are customized programs for specific mobile devices. The apps are only able to function perfectly on the basis of the strength of that mobile?s architecture. They provide with a user friendly access to a specific website. In terms of standardization, the desktop computers are on a completely different level. There are many popular platforms used for the functioning of the mobile devices. When it comes to development, maintenance and support of the apps for a large number of mobile devices, this can be an expensive affair.
You will have to take a call based on your expectations from the mCommerce business; this will make your decision easier.
Should you have a separate website for mCommerce?
Even though the best user experience is provided through dedicated apps; a wide range of users will access your eCommerce website through a web browser present on their mobile device. Therefore having a mobile friendly website is extremely important. For the usual website, you might have invested on getting the best website hosting for business for making it look splendid in the browsers however you have to go the extra mile for making it accessible to the mobile phone users as well.
Have you taken the security aspect into consideration?
When it comes to mCommerce, security plays an extremely important role. Any breach in the security can cost a fortune. Even though it?s a fact that security can never be full proof, it is necessary to allocate all the resources for it. In case the security goes wrong, the consequences can ruin the best planned marketing strategy as well.
An Elegant Solution ? A Responsive Design
A responsive design is the most appropriate solution to the challenges presented by the revolution of mobile internet use as it completely eliminates the use of a segmented mobile strategy. With a single responsive design website, you can make it accessible to any device for providing with an optimal user experience. In case of the internet merchants; this means that one eCommerce website can be accessed through computers, tablets, smart phones etc. A responsive website has the capability to analyze the resolution constraints that is associated with every type and size of mobile device.
You might have to make a significant initial investment for creating a responsive design for your website. This might be more than the web hosting platform that you might have invested in for the actual website. With the perfect website design, there is no risk of losing the iPad customers or the Windows phone customers because of the reason that the website won?t fit the dimensions of those devices.
When it comes to an eCommerce website, it?s always better to give your website the edge to reach out to a wide range of people. All you have to do is go the extra mile for ensuring the accessibility in order to become a part of the huge mobile eCommerce revolution.
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