Throughout 2009 Mobile has got ever more exciting. Augmented reality (AR) has captured the imagine of the technology press and while there is no landmark moment for mobile AR yet, it's got true potential beyond the hype. If you're not aware of some of the possibilities for mobile AR, here's a quick video below
This got me thinking about past Mobile trends, particularly Mobile commerce. Mcommerce (the act of purchasing goods and services via a mobile) was a buzz word that seemed to be forever be next years big thing, and last year I contributed a few times to articles on why the channel has taken a long time to grow.
I'd forgotten all the mCommerce hype until realising last week that I'd spent nearly £1000 in 2009 on purchases made via my smartphone, a big share of wallet and a considerable figure given it's not even Autumn. Up from last year of less then £50, my purchases were split between buying flights, books, memory cards, the odd music event and the largest ticket item, a £500 laptop.
So what had changed or become mainstream since 2008?
· Better phones and flate rate data tariffs. 2009's smartphones are making mCommerce a lot simpler. I'd switched my smartphone to Vodafone's Google Android over the summer and found it a very simple browsing experience. Enhancements such as Google Voice make accessing information on products very easy, and mobile shopping becomes a bearable user experience.
· Better dedicated mobile sites. Few retailers have taken mobile seriously, however the best browsing experience I found was still on Amazon's mobile site. Sadly (for the competition) is not a new development but still featured some key elements of a great mobile experience, it was fast, simple and I had little typing to do and within a few clicks items are orders.
· A multitude of applications now available – The ability to quickly and seamlessly access search engines, shopping comparison sites, scan barcodes and peruse Amazons large catalogue whilst shopping is going to hit the high street hard, a few times this year when a products not been available in store I've ordered it there and then via my phone, typically with a rival brand, but mainly with Amazon
There's plenty of advice around how to make your online site more mobile friendly, so I won't repeat the advice but end my post with some developments which I believe will grow the channel
· Simpler and easy payment - Apple, Google and Nokia know the power of a simple payments mechanism through their respective stores, but we'll began to see 'charge to my mobile bill' as a simple and effective payment option. Mobile Network Operators (Vodafone, O2 etc) will provide simple experiences which will save the trouble of entering in credit card details on a mobile phone; with a simple 'add to my monthly bill' option. This move see's the operators take on the credit card companies as payment providers.
· Augmented Reality driving 'there and then' purchases – When AR and contextual technologies converge there will be some great opportunities – particularly 'click camera to search and buy' products you're viewing in the store environment, making mCommerce more simple, relevant and fun.
· The tipping point for adoption – just as with SMS in the 90's and Facebook in the 00's, mobile commerce needs and will benefit from more peoples involvement, as few retailers have made investments in this area citing perceived low user demand.
I'm always interested to know your experience and statistics on mobile commerce take up, so if you've any opinions drop me a line.
