Weighs In on 2010 Trends: E-Commerce & Mobile. Jeffrey Grau, Senior Analyst Mobile Commerce’s Time Has Arrived It is eye-catching when a consultancy revises a market forecast upward in the midst of an economic downturn.
That is exactly what ABI Research did with its forecast of mobile sales of physical goods in North America. In January 2009 it projected m-commerce sales would reach $544 million this year, up 57% over 2008—impressive in its own right. But in late October, ABI upped its forecast, saying sales would top $750 million in 2009, a whopping 117% annual growth rate.
Whereas consumers once limited their mobile phone purchases to downloadable ringtones and games, today they are using their devices to buy books, apparel and other items associated with online shopping on a PC. Retailers Grapple with Measuring Social Commerce A number of major retailers have established a presence on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. Noah Elkin, Senior Analyst Mobile: Moving into the Mainstream.
Coupons. 10 Amazing Augmented Reality iPhone Apps. While Lawnmower Man may have led us to believe the future was a virtual one, it seems that in fact augmented reality (the overlaying of digital data on the real world) is where we're headed.
A buzz technology right now, augmented reality apps are quickly gaining momentum on the iPhone. So to add to the quick overview of six AR apps we brought you earlier, we sort the digital wheat from the pixellated chaff to bring you ten AR apps for the iPhone that vary from functional, to educational, to just plain fun. 1. Le Bar Guide Although the wisdom of getting drunk people to wave their iPhones around on today's mean streets is questionable, if you drink responsibly, as this Stella Artois-backed app urges you to, this could be a handy tool. 2. Another corporate-backed app, this time by Plantronics, is WorkSnug, an iPhone app that finds digital nomads a place to lay their weary laptop. 3. This star map app will spell out the stars, planets and constellations for you. 4.
The Habits of Heavy Mobile Web Users. The US mobile Internet population is increasing rapidly. eMarketer estimates that 29.2% of mobile phone users log on to the mobile Web at least once per month in 2009, up from 22.3% last year.
And according to BIA/Kelsey and ConStat, many of those qualify as “heavy” users—those who go online via mobile more than 10 times per week. BIA/Kelsey and ConStat put heavy mobile Internet users at 21% of the total US mobile population in October 2009, up from less than 15% a year earlier. And the overall average number of monthly mobile Web sessions has doubled in that time period. Heavy users of text messaging and mobile e-mail have also increased over the past year; nearly one-half of mobile users text more than 10 times weekly, while one-fifth send and receive more than 10 mobile e-mails per week.
Overall, users have become more active across many mobile activities—except in nonlocal searches for products and services. Keep up on the latest digital trends.