Mobile commerce revolutionizes retail
Nicole Rüdlin, Director of the Internet World Trade FairMs. Rüdlin, what trends do you see in e-commerce for 2015?One megatrend for 2015 is undoubtedly mobile in all its forms. Concepts and strategies launched in 2014 will have to prove themselves in practice in 2015. It also remains to be seen how consumers will respond. Our latest study on this topic reveals a certain ambivalence among smartphone owners—a mix of anticipation and reservations—which is perfectly normal. Before the iPhone, very few consumers believed in the mobile Internet either.Mobile payments have been the subject of increased media discussion in recent weeks. Will we be paying via mobile devices in the future?That’s likely to be the next big step. The new iPhone 6 is the first smartphone to come with „Apple Pay“ pre-installed—a payment app featuring a carefully curated network of partner retailers and banks. Add to that 800 million potential iTunes customers. These are excellent conditions for the technology to take off. Incidentally, this shouldn’t require a major adjustment on the part of retailers, since most terminals are already equipped with NFC, the short-range wireless technology.What role will social media play in the field of mobile commerce?Social media has lost some of its appeal in a business context. However, when it comes to the point of sale (POS), features like customer reviews offer a lot of potential. This is because, here too, mobile devices make it possible to bridge the gap between online and brick-and-mortar retail. But it’s not just about reviews or recommendations—which are now also available in-store—but also about customers being able to instantly share products and experiences with friends and involve them in the in-store purchasing process. Retailers can engage potential buyers with smart location-based services—that is, services that use the user’s current location—whether through local offers or broader campaigns, such as requiring a shopper to visit five stores to gain access to a special offer.Where can retailers get a good overview of these new e-commerce technologies?This certainly works very well at trade shows and conferences. Presentations, in particular, can be helpful because they often include accounts of failures and discuss how to solve specific problems. In German-speaking countries, the Internet World trade show in Munich has become a staple; it takes place on March 24 and 25, and visitors can learn about and discuss the latest trends in e-commerce as a whole—both at the high-profile conference and on the trade show floor. Globally speaking, the Internet Retailer Conference + Exhibition (IRCE) in Chicago is also worth mentioning; from a European perspective, the Global E-Commerce Summit in Barcelona would be of interest. Information about the Internet World trade show at www.internetworld-messe.de
