Benefits And Limitations Of M-Commerce Over eCommerce

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Mobile shopping has quickly become a game-changer, giving us the freedom to shop anytime, anywhere. Whether it’s grabbing a quick gift or ordering food on the go, the benefits of m-commerce make life easier. But it’s not perfect—there are a few things it doesn’t do as well as traditional e-commerce. Understanding both sides helps us shop smarter and make the most of the digital world we live in.

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Benefits of m-commerce over eCommerce

Nowadays, as mobile devices become increasingly common and gradually replace traditional computers, mCommerce is on its trajectory to become the main selling channel in the future thanks to its many proven advantages for both large and small businesses.

1. Ubiquity

Ubiquity is what you talk about when mentioning the benefits of mobile commerce.

Mobile commerce allows brands to enter markets they’ve never considered before. Simply with a device that’s connected to the internet, users can get any information anywhere with almost no extra cost involved. It is the fundamental factor that separates mCommerce from traditional brick and mortar stores, especially at a time when two-thirds of adults own a smartphone like today.

2. Localization

Mobile commerce specializes in utilizing the information given by the users such as locations to improve its service and consequently, to drive more revenues.

It allows brands to reach consumers at the right time, whether they’re browsing for an item in the evening or shopping in a store during a lunch break. Retailers use geotracking technology and programmatic advertising to connect with consumers right before they make a purchase decision, increasing the chances of completing the sale.

3. Personalization

There’s nothing the users love more than tailored experience. It saves them the time, it makes them feel valued, cherished and thus some of the most successful m-commerce all utilize personalization to its fullest potential. Personalization has proven itself time and time again to be the secret ingredient to e-Commerce success, especially at a time of machine learning and AI as of now.

4. Dissemination

Some wireless infrastructure supports the simultaneous delivery of data to all mobile users within a specified geographical area. This advantage of mobile commerce provides an effective means to disseminate information to a large number of consumers.

5. Convenience

It should go without saying that convenience is one of m-Commerce’s trademarks. In a world where everything is getting progressively more convenient, mCommerce shines where traditional approaches failed.

Compared to its early days, mobile devices are getting increasingly easier to fit into your pocket and more multi-purpose than ever. With just a few simple clicks on mobile devices, customers can do shopping, banking, download media files, managing their businesses…and more.

6. Better data

Mobile commerce provides brands with better consumer data, as it’s part of the entire purchase process. In a traditional retail setting, the consumer comes into the store, makes a purchase, and leaves. Little insight is gathered as to why they make the purchase. With mobile commerce, brands can connect with these consumers from the moment of discovery all the way through purchase, giving the brand access to valuable signals of purchase intent.

7. Rapid expansion

Mobile commerce allows brands to avoid market saturation issues by changing their slant and focus to differentiate themselves from competitors. As new markets open and are discovered, they provide extensive sales opportunities to brands.

Limitations of mCommerce over eCommerce

M-commerce has a lot of perks, but it does come with a few drawbacks when stacked up against traditional e-commerce done on desktops or laptops. Here are some of the key limitations of m-commerce:

1. Security Worries

Let’s be honest—security is a dealbreaker. When shopping on mobile, people get nervous about hackers and scams. Even a tiny doubt can stop them from clicking “Buy Now.” Desktop feels safer, so businesses have to work harder to make mobile shoppers feel protected.

2. Small Screens, Big Hassle

Shopping on your phone can feel like reading fine print with one eye closed. Small screens make browsing and checkout tricky—especially if you’re multitasking with one hand (like nearly half of us do). If the site isn’t built for mobile, customers might give up before they buy.

3. Internet Struggles

M-commerce lives and dies by internet connectivity. Unlike desktop shopping, which can handle slow speeds a bit more gracefully, mobile platforms can crash or freeze if the connection drops. For people in rural areas or places with less reliable networks, this can be a real barrier. Traditional e-commerce doesn’t always have this problem, and that makes it a more consistent option for shoppers who can’t count on their phones to stay connected.

4. Glitches and Crashes

Mobile apps and sites can be moody. One day they’re fine, the next—they glitch or crash. Slow load times or bugs? People won’t stick around. Mobile demands constant updates to keep things running smoothly, or shoppers will bounce fast.

Mobile commerce implementations in the world

According to an analysis from Adobe, over one-third of eCommerce traffic comes from smartphones and it’s expected to reach 51% by 2021.

This number is to be expected as the global smartphone traffic is projected to increase tenfold by the end of this year. From last year Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales alone, mCommerce generated a total of $2 billion, breaking previous records in 2017.

With this kind of growth, business owners are starting to shift their attention to the m-Commerce scene in order to drive more revenue. The Tesco (UK) supermarket chains is one of those. Since Tesco supermarket chains started integrating online payment and QR code scanning into their system, the number of online shoppers at Tesco was up by 76% and revenue by 130%.

Conclusion

The benefits of m-commerce are hard to ignore—it’s convenient and accessible, making shopping a breeze. Still, it has its limits compared to traditional online shopping.

Finnally, It can’t be denied that mobile commerce is a very rapidly growing field in today’s technological world, which is why it’s best that retailers such as yourself do your best to take advantage of this emerging field to generate even more revenue for your store.

Here at SimiCart, we offer a complete and cost-effective solution for Shopify merchants who wish to convert a Shopify store into a mobile app.

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