E-Commerce News: M-Commerce

Some of the Best CES Stories That Didn't Make the Headlines
January 18, 2010

Last week, I spoke about how CES was back, and I gave some of the highlights. However, there always are discussions and trends going on behind the scenes, almost-invisible products, and impressions that take a while to form that can be even more interesting. There were a couple of little companies, for example, that looked like they may be on the verge of becoming really big.

Sidestepping Swindlers in the New M-Commerce Frontier
January 13, 2010

As the number, power and flexibility of mobile devices has increased, so has their use for shopping. In 2008, a Nielsen survey found that 9 million people in the United States "have used their mobile phone to pay for goods or services," and many more expect to do so soon.

Nexus One: You Can Look, You Can Buy, but You Can't Touch
January 08, 2010

The 2009 holiday spirit seems to have faded for Google and Apple, who didn't waste much time getting back to the business of giving each other the stinkeye. First up was Google, which gave its Nexus One smartphone its first official public appearance. It's a phone manufactured by HTC, and it runs on Android 2.1, which is .1 better than the version on the Verizon Droid.

Apple to Introduce Mobile Advertising Into Its Ecosystem
January 05, 2010

Apple is acquiring mobile ad company Quattro Wireless for an undisclosed amount, Andy Miller, Quattro's vice president, mobile advertising, said in a statement on the company's Web site. Apple, of course, has a rich array of products, including the iPhone and iPod touch lines. What it doesn't have is a distinct platform for advertisers to reach its massive user base.

Consumer Groups Sound Alarm Over Google's AdMob Buy
December 29, 2009

Google's plan to acquire mobile ad network AdMob in a $750 million deal announced last month is under fire from two consumer groups, Consumer Watchdog and the Center for Digital Democracy. The two have asked the Federal Trade Commission to block the deal, arguing that it would substantially lessen competition in the mobile advertising market.

The Coming of Age of Local Online Advertising
December 23, 2009

The future of local online advertising is bright. As we stand on the brink of 2010, there are many reasons to be hopeful. We are seeing new innovations on search engines, the proliferation of hyper-local content developed and managed by micro bloggers and business owners directly, and a resurgence in online coupons.

Reeling In Mobile Web Shoppers With a Better Hook
December 17, 2009

2009 is expected to be the first year when mobile phones start gaining real traction in holiday shopping. Nearly one in five consumers will use a mobile device to assist in their holiday shopping this year, according to Deloitte's most recent Annual Holiday Survey of retail spending and trends Shoppers will use their mobile devices to find store locations, research prices and find product information.

Teaching Mature Markets New M-Commerce Tricks
November 12, 2009

Ten years after national commercial platforms for mobile commerce were launched in the Philippines and Japan, the United States is slowly beginning to creep into the field. Residents in rural parts of the Philippines and other developing nations routinely pay bills through their smartphones, while people in Japan and Europe can buy products as well as train and airline tickets using their mobile phones.

Making Micro-Payment Models Work Online
November 02, 2009

Forecasts for the magnitude of online micro-payments can whet the appetite of any profit-minded businessperson. However, cracking that code is more complicated than one thinks. There is little question as to whether sub-US$5 products can be sold in mass volume, but the lynchpin to opening the floodgates of micro-payments may very well be payment method.

Smartphones Get More AdSense
October 05, 2009

Google has developed a new JavaScript snippet for AdSense aimed at high-end mobile phones, giving advertisers yet another option for using its mobile platform. The new feature allows publishers to run larger-scale text and image ads on smartphones. As more people use these devices, more advertisers want to be able to target them, noted a Google engineer in a blog post on the rollout.

Study: Android's on a Mobile Web Tear
October 02, 2009

While apparently iPhones rule the mobile ad marketplace, Android phones are making rapid headway and could soon overtake BlackBerry devices. Mobile adverting marketplace AdMob on Thursday released a report indicating that 40 percent of the devices accessing its mobile ad network are iPhones. However, Android users accessing its network are increasing rapidly in North America and Western Europe.

Dialing Into Mobile Marketing
September 24, 2009

Mobile marketing has at last emerged as an important part of the marketing mix. Through a confluence of technologies and standards related to mobile devices, including 3G networks and data packages, the mobile channel can now enable large-scale marketing activities capable of engaging consumers in unprecedented ways.

Zong Turns Mobile Phones Into 'Charge Cards'
August 12, 2009

In the U.S., consumers are accustomed to paying for merchandise with checks, credit cards and debit cards. Online shopping and banking transactions are dependent on electronic money transfers between vendors and their customers' financial institutions. That experience, however, is not universal. Consumers in Europe and Asia are used to different types of systems.

In Mobile Advertising, Experimentation Is the Name of the Game
July 31, 2009

The proliferation of smartphones, alongside the growth in number of subscribers of 3G network data plans, is having a ripple effect on multiple markets, from mobile apps to hardware enhancements. As media becomes increasingly fragmented, advertisers are focused on multiplatform media strategies in order to capture and retain consumer attention.

Google Mobilizes Product Search for iPhone, Android Users
April 24, 2009

Google has rolled out a mobile-friendly version of its Product Search feature for iPhone and Android-powered devices. Google Product Search is a search engine that works much as the name indicates: Users type in keywords relevant to what they're seeking and the feature delivers likely prospects from various shopping sites, along with product reviews and ratings.

Paymo: Harnessing a Global Mobile Payments Market
April 21, 2009

The global economy is changing. For many consumers, the credit card crunch is crumbling their ability to buy things online. In many countries outside the U.S., consumers do not have credit cards but rely instead on smart cards to swipe transactions directly through their banks.