Future of mobile commerce lies in messaging: Radialpoint CEO
NEW YORK ? Retailers looking to stay ahead in today?s tumultuous digital industry should explore the possibility of commerce through mobile messaging, which has the potential to change mobile commerce, according to the president/CEO of Radialpoint during a presentation at the Mcommerce Summit: State of Mobile Commerce 2015.
An important point from the ?Conversational Commerce: Why Mobile Messaging is Going to Disrupt Retail Commerce, and What it Means for Business? is how multiple startups emerging from Silicon Valley provide services and sales through messaging along with big name companies such as Facebook. The face-to-face personalization of retail and marketing in the past is still a feature that holds value in the current generation and brands connecting to consumers through message services keeps that principal alive and greater addresses the shoppers needs.
"Having users click through these mobile apps and these stores, fill out forms, search and add things to your shopping cart is not the way to transact on mobile," said Warren Levitan, CEO and president of Radialpoint. "This is not saying that ecommerce is gone and services like Amazon are going to die but there is a different trend here.
"The method and medium for transacting on mobile is being questioned," he said.
The Mcommerce Summit: State of Mobile Commerce 2015 was organized by Mobile Commerce Daily and Mobile Marketer.
Mobile commerce standstill
Since the birth of the Internet and the inherent emersion of digital and online sales the concept and characteristics of ecommerce have essentially remained stagnant. The technology has evolved and the way consumers access these brands has drastically changed but the fundamentals of shopping online have not.
The in-store shopping experience and the manner of which consumers behave in store has drastically changed with the introduction of beacons and other technology. However, shopping through mobile right now is only a reproduction of shopping through desktop.
Introducing mobile messaging shopping will be a huge change for retailers and an industry shift. The experience itself will create an easier shopping experience for the consumer eliminating the need to search through content overload for exactly what they want and also more personal experience.
Brands will be able to address customer service needs, transact sales, deliver information and do anything that creates a better experience for the customer through messaging services. For a society that is constantly on the go this makes for the easiest mobile experience.
Starting up
The mobile messaging service Whatsapp has over one billion users. This is a huge channel for brands to access.
One example of how messaging can be used for retail is a startup named Magic that offers a concierge service through SMS. Users text the service requesting a service or product and the team members will procure it for you.
This removes many steps for the consumer and the easier it is for the customer, the greater the appeal.
"If you think that you are experiencing mobile commerce, you are not," Mr. Levitan said. "We are at phase one, nothing has changed yet.
"Mobile, the most personal computing device that we have, can change the game and bring back that personalization retailers are longing for and the great ones succeed at," he said. "Messaging is the future of brand to consumer communications, if you are not messaging with your consumers today and require them to call a 1-800 number or email you, I can confidently say you are making a mistake."
Final Take
Brielle Jaekel is editorial assistant at Mobile Marketer and Mobile Commerce Daily
Final Take
Brielle Jaekel is editorial assistant at Mobile Marketer and Mobile Commerce Daily