Our focus today is a round up of news on mobile and why it matters to ecommerce. TechCrunch takes a look at Apple’s top 25 mobile apps and finds a surprising number of relatively unknown apps you may want to try out. Mcommerce sites are hitting their stride including leaders like American Eagle Outfitters, Coach and QVC according to a report from the e-tailing group. In the US, compared to other international markets, mobile wallet payments were only used by a small number of consumers during the holiday weekend.
In the super competitive mobile payment space, Samsung Pay raises the bar by adding mobile gift cards. Mobile Commerce Daily has an excellent list of the Top 10 Mobile Coupon Campaigns of 2015 including Dunkin Donuts, Jack in the Box and Reese’s.
These Are Apple’s Top 25 Favorite iOS Apps Of The Year
As they do each year, Apple has just dropped its hand picked list of its favorite iOS apps. Many of them are things you’ve probably seen before — but many of them are pretty unheard of.
Among the lesser known apps are: #2 – Enlight (photo editing); #3 – Robinhood (no fee stock buys); #4 – Workflow (task automation tool); #7 – Hopper (travel price alerts); #9 – Lark (nutrition advice); #12 – Tandem (language learning); #13 – Jet (shopping app); #14 – Timeline (news in context); #19 – Wildcard (news briefs); and #20 – Paper (organizer). Via techcrunch.com
American Eagle Outfitters, Coach take lead as mcommerce sites improve: report
Mcommerce Web sites have hit their stride, with leaders such as American Eagle Outfitters, Coach and QVC leading the way in taking a holistic approach while effectively layering in tactics for driving conversions, according to a new report from the e-tailing group.
The e-tailing group’s 2015 Mobile Mystery Shopper Index reveals several important gains made by mcommerce sites in the past year, including in search, the shopping cart, merchandising and in-store experiences. Average scores were higher across the study – 72.09 in 2015 vs. 71.60 in 2014 – but only four retailers scored 80 points or higher. Via mobilecommercedaily.com
Credit cards beat out mobile wallets during Black Friday: report
Mobile wallet platforms did not fare well during this year’s Black Friday retail frenzy, most likely due to do inconsistency with retailers and consumer use, with Apple Pay at its lowest usage rate and PayPal being used more than others, according to a report from InfoScout.
The holiday weekend is known for its chaotic shopping sprees, with many retailers seeing long lines and disorderly checkout experiences, which may have led consumers’ choice to stick with established payment methods such as credit cards. On Black Friday this year Apple Pay saw only 2.7 percent use with all eligible transactions at retail locations, and Android even lower with 2 percent of possible transactions being used. Via mobilecommercedaily.com
Beacons to deliver 1.6B coupons annually by 2020: report
Coupons are quickly growing as a significant component of beacon-enabled proximity marketing thanks to strong redemption rates, with brands and retailers forecast to deliver 1.6 billion coupons a year by 2020, according to a new report from Juniper Research.
The results point to how proximity marketing is gaining traction as retailers look to engage more deeply with consumers in and around their stores, prompting the volume of beacon-enabled coupons to grow quickly from the 11 million expected to be delivered in 2015. However, the research also underscores the potential danger of turning beacons into nothing more than another offer channel, which is likely to cause shoppers to lose interest.
“I would imagine that coupons will represent a key plank of any beacon-based proximity marketing strategy,” said Dr. Windsor Holden, head of forecasting and consultancy at Juniper Research as well as author of the report. Via mobilecommercedaily.com
In-store mobile payments grow by more than three times in 2015: report
There was a substantial jump in the number of people using a phone to make an in-store payment in 2015, growing more than three times from 5 percent to 18 percent, according to a new report from Deloitte.
According to the report, 2015 Global Mobile Consumer Survey: The Rise of the Always-connected Consumer, this was the year of mobile payments, with a growing number of consumers using their phones at least once a week to make an online purchase, pay a bill and make an in-store payment. The report also found that “while out shopping” ranks as the leisure activity when consumers are most likely to simultaneously use their phone.
“Perhaps both the biggest news and most surprising finding – not only within mpayments but across the survey – is the usage statistic on in-store mobile payments,” said Craig Wigginton, vice chairman and U.S. telecommunications leader at Deloitte LLP. Via mobilecommercedaily.com
Samsung Pay swipes in gift cards for deeper retail integration
Samsung Pay is rolling out a new gift card store enabling users to purchase digital cards from popular merchants within the application and furthering the solution’s goal of dethroning competition in the mobile payments space as holiday sales heat up.
Samsung Pay now supports 50 well-known retailer gift cards, thanks to partnerships with brands including Domino’s, GameStop and Toys R Us. As consumers double down on their holiday gifting efforts, the payment platform from Samsung Electronics is ensuring that its service remains top-of-mind for mobile shoppers seeking to buy last-minute gift cards for themselves, friends or family. Via mobilecommercedaily.com
Top 10 mobile coupon-enabled campaigns of 2015
Mobile’s influential stamp on commerce has been indisputable this year, what with the proliferation of payment platforms such as Apple Pay and Android Pay, as well as the rise of shopping applications including Ibotta and RetailMeNot. Major retailers were forced to step up their mobile efforts in 2015, resulting in the release of features such as Snapchat geofilters and buy now buttons on social media.
However, one particular strategy resonated most positively with consumers: mobile coupons. Shoppers are now more than ever seeking virtual clippings that they can save into their favorite stores’ apps or their mobile wallets of choice. This prompted a slew of marketers to roll out campaigns and giveaways centered on mobile couponing, consequently ramping up digital sales and in-store traffic, in some cases. Here are the top 10 mobile-enabled campaigns of 2015, in alphabetical order. Via mobilecommercedaily.com
Why Mobile Shoppers Head to Stores: 47% Want to See Items, 41% Want to Take Them Home
During the Mobile Shopping Life Cycle, consumers use their phones a lot, since with mobile consumers can always be shopping. Before they even head to a store, 63% of consumers use their smartphones to help prepare for the shopping trip. And once they get to the store, here’s how they use their phones, according to the survey:
57% — Look for offers/coupons
52% — Compare prices
49% — Get more product information on a product or category
42% — Create shopping lists
40% — Access social media/friends.
Other research has shown that in-store shoppers would rather use their phones than turn to sales associates. Via mediapost.com
Mobile remains a critical component to e-commerce success. In the months ahead, we’ll continue to follow mobile marketplace developments, trends and innovations to keep you current on what matters in mobile.