Mobile commerce (m-commerce) is the ability to conduct business transactions between, sellers and buyers or business partners, using mobile devices and the internet connectivity medium. It is a replication of e-commerce process operable on mobile devices. Merchants all over the world are fast merging this new phenomenon, with their existing e-commerce business to maintain their online business relevance and increase customer base.
Mobile phone in-road to commerce activities date back to 1997, according to Wikipedia. It started with companies and financial institutions accepting payment via SMS. Digital downloadable contents directly into mobile phone gradually gained prominence. These and other development like social networking, which hand-held devices like phone proved capable of delivery, became a watershed culminating in the commercialization of mobile commerce.
The new status assume by mobile devices resulted in introduction of smart phones in the market and evolution of other smart gadgets to satisfy customers personality tastes. Webmasters, programmers and application developers where also quick in providing applicable solutions and web structures adaptable to the screen size of mobile gadgets. Today it is easy to search online and download free web browsers, designed to compress web contents to fit mobile phone screen. Also internet security applications for mobile device protection are available for download online. Book readers and office tools applications completes the criterion of preference, for smart phone and mobile gadgets, as devices of choice over laptop while in motion.
The customized innovation development brought into mobile devices, simplifying web surfing experience and its ability to perform office work from anywhere gives mobile commerce an unfettered acceptability to the business world. It is common now, to find people clutching to their iPad, PDA or smart phone with Qwerty facility for office work in place of laptop. Business is no longer restricted to the office only. Business partners can interact conveniently, while on the move from their mobile devices. Today, office works hitherto performed on PC or Laptop are now conveniently carried out on smart phone and other mobile gadgets.
With surge in the drift towards mobile commerce, mobile phone manufacturers have continually step-up designs of sophisticated pocket size, smart phone models and easy to carry around mobile devices like iPad and tablet series, capable of performing commercial business activities while on the move. With internet connectivity, business transactions is made easy for online merchants and for internet shopping via smart mobile devices by consumers.
Mobile commerce enable transactions such as:
- mobile money
- Banking transaction
- Internet banking
- Web browsing
- Mobile marketing
and many more services, practicable on smart devices. The transformation of mobile device role, couple with the increasing number of mobile phone users world-wide, make it imperative for businesses with presence on the internet, to embrace m-commerce to remain relevant and increase business exposure in the world market.
The youths are also actively involve, particularly in the area of education, social networking and entertainment. Audio and visual music and film download are prominent features that youth engaged in. Online social interaction across the numerous social networks sites are pass time hobby of the youths. The ever increasing number of mobile device users across the globe makes the prospect of mobile commerce, a rallying point for the device manufacturers, service providers and other stakeholders to pull resources together for maximum advantage derivable.
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