What e-commerce services are provided by m-commerce?
As a form of e-commerce, m-commerce enables the users to access online shopping platform by the use of electronic devices such as desktop, computers, and mobile. The m-commerce services there which can be handled by the electric devices such as mobile banking, virtual, marketplace apps like Amazon, as well as digital wallet such as Apple Pay, Android pay and Samsung pay. There are different services that can be done through m-commerce. In the recent era of globalisation and digitalisation, the use of m-commerce is rising rapidly where all the people are interested in expanding easy transfer of money as well as online shopping through utilising their electronics devices such as desktop, laptop or the mobile phone. In this regard, the services that can be done through the m-commerce are such as mobile ticketing, money transform current purchase and delivery, information services, mobile banking, bowing and purchase as well as advertisings. In the recent years, the people are interested in doing online shopping by downloading the organisational personalise applications in the mobile phones which is effective device and application for the customers where the customers can place their orders successfully (Thongpapanl et al., 2018). Moreover, current purchase and the delivery tracking activity can be done through the m-commerce service, where the customers are interested to make the purchasing or other activities efficiently and easily. In this regard, mobile ticketing and purchase of necessary goods and services are the major use of the people through the m-commerce and apart from that money transfer is another service, where the people is utilising the online money transfer applications such as Apple pay to transfer money per make the payment system easier. Additionally, the mobile marketing and the mobile browsing are other options for which there is high demand of m-commerce in the market across globe.
Discuss the role of m-commerce in retailing
There is great role of the m-commerce service in the retail business, where through the m-commerce services, the retail business have the opportunity to run their business efficiently and expand other operational activities strategically across the international borders. In addition to this, it helps to reach the customers and attract them with the latest products and services the organisations. The m-commerce service is also advantageous for the retail business to enhance their performance and maximise their profitability by enhancing their sales volume where the retail firms are successful to retain the customers in long run. Hereby, the m-commerce service is beneficial for the retail firms to strengthen their customer’s base and maximise the organisational objective successfully (Blaise, Halloran and Muchnick, 2018). In addition to this, the m-commerce service is crucial and it has great role in understanding the customers in the retail industry so that the firms can acknowledge the actual needs and preferences of the customers. It in turn helps to deliver the quality products and services to all the customers in long run. Hereby, the sales volume and the profitability of the retail firms can be enhanced through the m-commerce service. Apart from that, the authentic activities in m-commerce service further raises the trust and loyalty among the customers which in turn provides a scope to the customers to rely on the transaction of money for the purchase of the retail produces from the companies (Chang et al., 2015). Additionally, the companies in the retail industry have the opportunity to expand their business and develop effective marketing tactics through the m-commerce services. moreover, the m-commerce services is playing a crucial and important role in enhancing the activities of the retail operations across the globe and it provides a opportunity to the retail firms to operate efficiently in the market by attracting the audiences in the market for long run. Hereby, the customer’s trust and loyalty can be enhanced through m-commerce services and apart from that, the companies in the retail industry can strengthen their market share by gaining high competitive advantage where they can strengthen their customers base and maximise the organisational goals in long run.
Why is m-commerce such a fragmented market?
The m-commerce market in fragmented as there is growing adoption of the digitisation and the e-commerce and m-commerce which makes the people to use the medium for transaction. It further helps to provide wider scope to make effective purchase decision easily from home. The percentage of using the m-commerce service is increasing rapidly where all the people nowadays accept the activities of the m-commerce service for easy transfer of money and for making the payments for their purchase. It is easy to handle the m-commerce service where the people have the scope to make effective purchase decision easily. In addition to this, in the growing era of digitalisation and globalisation, the people try to enhance communication and cooperation or effective transfer of products and services and m-commerce is the platform where the people can communicate and interact with the organisational representatives with advanced chatting or calling options. Hereby, the m-commerce market is sustainable and it is fragmented as the people accept the activities as because the activities are easy to handle and the customers can make effective utilisation of the services easily. It has value added service such as enhancing the experience of the shopping among the customers and utilising the technology for better performance in mobile transfer and telecommunication, where the information technology and innovation enhances the telecommunication system through which the people try to interact with others (Barry and Jan, 2018). It also provide growing scope to the players in the market to penetrate the market and expand the business across the world which is also another reason to become a fragmented market, where the players can access the global market and attract the customers across the international markets. The customers also can be upgraded with latest news and information through the m-commerce service for which it has high adoption rate which in turn make the m-commerce service a more fragmented market in the recent era of digitalisation.
Why do retailers spend much of their IT budget on m-commerce?
The retailers in the recent years spend much of their IT budget on m-commerce as it provides an open platform where both way communications can be built, and this provides a scope to the customers communicate positively with the organisational representative successfully in the market. In addition to this, the m-commerce platform is a successful marketing platform, where the organisations can promote their organisational products and services in the market and for which the retail firm try to spend much of their IT budget on designing and operating the m-commerce services. In addition to this, the m-commerce platform is effective for the organisations to improve the smooth activities where the customers can make effective purchase decision with one click option as well as they can make the payments over the m-commerce service safely. Additionally, the customers also can get proper help form the support team 24*7 where they can resolve their queries successfully by getting instant support of their messages (Liébana-Cabanillas, Marinković and Kalinić, 2017).
Apart from that, the m-commerce services are effective where the customer’s also can track their orders and the organisations also can communicate and interact with the customers that in turn provide an opportunity to develop corporate relationship between the customers and sales representatives of the retail firms. These are the major reasons, of spending much mount of finance on the m-commerce service where the firms can have the opportunity to explore mo market opportunities to expand their business internationally and strengthen their customer’s base by retaining ore customers in the market. In the growing trend of purchase, the customers prefer online shopping and easy and safe payment option and it would be beneficial for the retail firms to invest more and designing the mobile application and the company website where the customers can handle their transaction and track their orders for effective purchase. Hereby, the organisations utilise the m-commerce services by investing more to grab the market opportunities, enhance their performance, improve customer interaction and customers service management as well as maximise profitability and expand the business by improving trust and loyalty among the customers.
Discuss the impact of m-commerce on competition among retailers
The m-commerce service is efficient for the retail firms where the companies can utilise the platform for better performance and retaining the customer for long run. In this regard, the organisations can promote their products and services at the m-commerce platform which provides an opportunity to brand promotion in the market where the customers can identify the companies for their quality products and services. In addition to this, the organisations in the retail industry can grab the market opportunities of rising online shopping and strengthen their customer’s base in long run and this in turn provides a scope to increase market share of the companies by enhancing their profitability and sales volume.
Figure 1: Effects of m-commerce
(Source: Agrebi and Jallais, 2015)
In addition to this, the firms also can enhance the service innovation where 24*7 service through the m-commerce application and platform, the firms can communicate and interact with the customer and provide them the efficient service and this function further contributes in enhancing the customers relationship management. Through the m-commerce service, the organisations also can reduce the threats of substitutive products and threats of new entrants and it further provide an opportunity to the retail firms to gain high competitive advantage over other competitive firms in the market. brand visibility and brand manage can be improved through rising activities on m-commerce service and thus the m-commerce activities are effective to enhance the competitive position of the brands in which the companies in the retail industry can grab the new market share through market penetration as well as gain high competitive advantage. In addition to these, the mobile technologies are easy to handle, where the customers try to utilise for easy payments and purchasing the latest product and services and thus investment on m-commerce service provides a scope to all the retail firms to gain high competitive advantage in the market and secure future sustainable development.
What are the difficulties in managing mobile technology?
The major difficulties on utilising the m-commerce service is related to the mismanagement of the mobile devices, lack of understanding of the mobile applications a particular brand and lack of consistent end user experience. In this regard, the customers may face difficulties in managing the mobile application due to lack of understanding or mismanagement of the mobile device. The problem of hacking the password or lack of management of the user preferences activities is other problems, where awareness among the customers is necessary for better performance. Data loss and lack of skilled workforce are other issues which deteriorates experience (Yadav, Sharma and Tarhini, 2016). It is difficult to manage the balance between the accessibility versus security issues in the m-commerce platform for which the organisational representative and the customers sometime face difficulties to handle the mobile technology safely.
What is the future for m-commerce?
In near future, the use of m-commerce is rising rapidly where the customers are interested to utilise the platform for various purposes such as mobile ticketing, making effective purchasing decision, browsing and checking the alterative products and services, online money transfer etc. where easy activities and options in the m-commerce services further attracts the people to utilise it for better payment facilities and fulfilling own needs and preferences. As per the Statista, there were 2.31 billion smart phones connected to web and it will be expected that in 2020, the number will be probably 3.0 billion, where the people become interested in ding the online activities by utilising the m-commerce services.
Figure 2: Use of m-commerce
(Source: Blum, 2018)
Hereby, it can be stated that, the use of m-commerce is rising rapidly, where every people n the society are interested to make easy transaction of the products or services or they try to make easy and safe payment by utilising the m-commerce services. Hereby, in near future under such an era of digitalisation, the use of m-commerce in the retail industry is increasing at a rapid rate where the social communities are connected through mobile technologies.
Reference List
Agrebi, S. and Jallais, J., 2015. Explain the intention to use smartphones for mobile shopping. Journal of retailing and consumer services, 22, pp.16-23.
Barry, M. and Jan, M.T., 2018. Factors Influencing the Use of M-Commerce: An Extended Technology Acceptance Model Perspective. International Journal of Economics, Management and Accounting, 26(1), pp.157-183.
Blaise, R., Halloran, M. and Muchnick, M., 2018. Mobile commerce competitive advantage: A quantitative study of variables that predict m-commerce purchase intentions. Journal of Internet Commerce, 17(2), pp.96-114.
Blum, M., 2018. Are PWA’s the future of m-commerce. Retrieved from: https://medium.com/@mateuszblum/are-pwas-the-future-of-m-commerce-5cdfc295d66e
Chang, S.C., Sun, C.C., Pan, L.Y. and Wang, M.Y., 2015. An extended TAM to explore behavioural intention of consumers to use M-Commerce. Journal of Information & Knowledge Management, 14(02), p.1550014.
Liébana-Cabanillas, F., Marinković, V. and Kalinić, Z., 2017. A SEM-neural network approach for predicting antecedents of m-commerce acceptance. International Journal of Information Management, 37(2), pp.14-24.
Thongpapanl, N., Ashraf, A.R., Lapa, L. and Venkatesh, V., 2018. Differential Effects of Customers’ Regulatory Fit on Trust, Perceived Value, and M-Commerce Use among Developing and Developed Countries. Journal of International Marketing, 26(3), pp.22-44.
Yadav, R., Sharma, S.K. and Tarhini, A., 2016. A multi-analytical approach to understand and predict the mobile commerce adoption. Journal of enterprise information management, 29(2), pp.222-237.