Mobile Commerce Minute

That's right, for the first time ever, mobile visits outpaced desktop visits to retailer websites according to BrandingBrand.com. In 4 short years, mobile has usurped desktop and that's not all. All other mobile-related stats are STILL experiencing crazy growth rates and many are surpassing the 50%-use mark. Chuck breaks it down for us here. The only question is how far will this go?

A very recent study by Digi-Capital shows that $14 billion dollars has been invested into mobile companies in the last 12 months and it seems as though that investment is going to show great returns. Chuck highlights the reasons why these investors are smiling.

Mobile payments have been hit or miss early in their adoption but one place that has seen a huge uptick is on the trains - especially everywhere except North America. Part of the reason is convenience that leads to a behaviour change - they made it easier to use a mobile than a traditional ticket. Chuck highlights a recent Frost & Sullivan report on the amount of mobile money flowing through trains...and it isn't small.

Loyalty has long been the focus of mobile strategy - especially for retailers and coupon companies. This is no surprise. A loyal customer brings higher sales but also requires thinking and a process to follow. We are now starting to see smart companies make smart moves in this space - the most recent being the Catalina acquisition of Cellfire. Chuck explains the state of loyalty and why these two companies coming together brings with it a new type of mobile loyalty company.

Hallelujah the beacons are coming! A huge study by Adobe shows us what mobile marketers think of beacons and it is (mostly) good. There is tremendous interest in using beacons these days and this study encapsulates the state of acceptance as a marketing tool. Chuck summarizes for us here.

We've all been waiting for a mobile payments catalyst. Something that will give us the confidence to leave our wallets behind, forgo physical credit cards and cash and be easy enough for our parents to use. So far, not so good but could Apple Pay be the answer? Apple has made it easy for us to buy music, tv shows, movies and apps so is it Apple Pay that will bring mobile payments to the masses? Enter Chuck and his thoughts.

Coupons and mobile are synonymous with mobile shopping aren't they? In fact, most of the early adopters for mobile shopping are consumers looking for deals. The funny thing is that what mobile brings to the coupon industry strays so far away from what a traditional coupon is that we should really consider changing their name. The reality is that the relationship between the coupon and mobile is growing and the impact over the next few years will be tremendous for those that embrace the changing landscape. What does that look like? Chuck gives us a glimpse here.

Back to school the event was only dwarfed this year by back to school the shopping event. In what is sure to be a sign of things to come for the serious shopping season ahead, mobile played in important role in getting kids equipped for school. Chuck gives us the final word on the latest (and last) study on this subject brought to us by Affiliate Window. If this is any indication of things to come, watch out.

With probably the most unfortunate name in the history of company names, ISIS - the payment consortium that includes AT&T Mobility, T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless - has finally renamed themselves to Softcard. Not to be undone, the other payment consortium formerly called MCX (for Merchant Customer Exchange) - formed by some of the world's largest retailers - rebranded to CurrentC. The big question is that, despite the seemingly lack of branding ability these big companies have, will this be relevant now that Apple has entered the fray?

There is so much speculation around Apple's event today but there are a few things we are sure of and I'm not talking about the new phones. Mobile payments are coming to - and through - Apple's ecosystem with huge partners and even greater clout. Chuck explores the impact that a mobile payments-enabled Apple means to the industry.