Are retailers losing control of the customer journey to pervasive social platforms?

The capabilities that social media (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest etc.) provide to retail brands today has far extended likes, comments or shares. Through these platforms online visitors can discover more of a retailer’s product catalogue through a curated feed of suggestions based on the user’s browsing and intent behaviour. But with that comes its own challenges for overstretched e-commerce managers and brands, not...

29 August 2018 | E-Commerce

The growth of mCommerce: How to adapt your content

mCommerce - the digital trend that retailers cannot afford to ignore with over 25% of the world’s population (1.6 billion) using their mobile devices to make purchases. It’s certainly not replacing ecommerce, but a larger proportion of online sales are now coming from mobile devices with recent trends show that online shopping via a desktop and laptop has decreased by 15% in 2018, compared to smartphone transactions, which have doubled.

Mobile commerce is an advancement of...

9 May 2018 | Commerce

Mobile gaming: There’s a new entertainment player in town

A switch to the smaller screen

It’s no secret that games consoles dating as far back as the Sega Mega Drive and Nintendo SNES have enjoyed pride of place in living rooms around the world, providing a welcome dose of entertainment and a brief escape from reality.

But, thanks to incredible advances in mobile technology – just look at the iPhone X and Google Pixel 2 – gaming on the small screen in your pocket is giving the latest consoles a run for their money. And that...

12 March 2018 | M-Commerce

Consumers less likely to complete purchases on mobile

New research shows that shoppers are less likely to go through with an online purchase if they are using a phone or tablet.

The findings come from a study conducted by the University of East Angelia and published in the Journal of Business Research which looked at why cart abandonment is much higher on mobile apps then desktop-based online shopping.

According to data from research Criteo, 46% of global ecommerce traffic come from mobile devices in Q2 2016. However, only...

5 January 2018 | E-Commerce

Has smartphone usage fallen among young people?

According to new research by Kantar TNS, smartphone usage has fallen among 16 – 24-year olds for the first time.

The report states that mobile device owners in that age group spend an average of 2.8 hours using their phones daily. This is down from 3.9 hours last year. While this doesn’t sound like a lot, it is significant for a number of reasons.

Firstly, if accurate, it seems to fly contrary to the conventional wisdom that people (especially young people) are...

31 October 2017 | M-Commerce

The era of connected gaming entertainment

We are living in an era of connected entertainment. Media companies have been quick to pounce on the second screen phenomenon, where viewers watching a TV show are consuming supplementary content and applications simultaneously via their phones and tablets to create a fully immersive gaming experience.

Research suggests that 83% of people are now browsing a second screen while watching TV. With mobile phones by our sides 24/7, we are both enabled and encouraged to be interactive when...

25 October 2017 | Commerce

Is online ‘e-tailing’ missing the human touch?

Last year the IMRG reported that UK consumers spent a huge £133 billion online – £18 billion more than 2015; growth that is in part fuelled by the 47% year-on-year increase in sales made on smartphones. With figures set to record a further 14% growth for 2017 it’s clear that the retail industry is dealing with a new kind of customer.

As online, mobile-first shopping habits continue to rise, online retailers occupy a unique position in the market –...

18 September 2017 | Customer Experience

New feature propels Tinder to the top of Apple Store

Dating platform app Tinder is now the most lucrative app on the Apple store after the launch of its new paid feature.

The app beat out two established heavy hitters in Netflix and Candy Crush.

The Tinder Gold feature allows users to see who has liked them first, without having to go through the usual process of swiping through other user’s profiles. The feature costs $4.99 a month on top of the Tinder Plus $9.99 subscription fee.

The dating app has been free for...

5 September 2017 | M-Commerce

Walmart and Google team up for voice-enabled commerce – with Amazon in sights

Perhaps this was, in some way, inevitable: Walmart has got Amazon square in its sights after announcing a partnership with Google for voice-enabled shopping.

The partnership, which will become available in ‘late September’, will enable customers to pick thousands of Walmart items through Google Assistant. Carts can also be personalised, with Google having access to Walmart shoppers’ purchase histories, so enabling a smoother, more efficient shopping...

24 August 2017 | Commerce

The key challenges of building payments into your app

Building a payments component into your app can be more complicated than you might expect.

Platforms such as online marketplaces or fintech apps require electronic money (eMoney) infrastructure because they have complex requirements that cannot simply be accommodated by a payment gateway. These types of businesses need to issue money to individual merchants or users and the ability to transfer money between accounts or rather than simply process inbound payments.

eMoney...

14 August 2017 | Commerce