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What is M-Commerce?

M-commerce stands for mobile commerce and is further advancement in e-commerce and it can be stated as next generation of e-commerce. Basically, it is e-commerce transacted over mobile communication devices like smartphones, iPads, Personal Digital Assistants (PDA), Tabs etc.

So it is browsing, buying, selling, paying bills, returning products and services on mobile devices. It offers a more comfortable and complete online shopping experience in the sense that you may be on the move (like travelling in a bus or car etc.) while going shopping.

It includes all types of mobile transactions, such as mobile banking (m-banking) and money transfers (m-money). The emerging technology behind m-commerce is based on the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP). Though there is no set definition for what m-commerce actually is, it has been defined as “the buying and selling of goods and services via mobile/wireless technologies and devices”.

Difference between E-commerce and M-commerce

Whereas, e-commerce is selling and purchasing goods and services online. In most cases, the e-commerce platform is simply a website, which can be visited from any device connected to the internet. These are some points of difference between e-commerce and m-commerce:

1. By Meaning
2. Time
3. Convenience
4. Availability
5. Website vs. Web App
6. Inherent Advantage to M-commerce

By Meaning

M-commerce is simply e-commerce tailored to the mobile experience, which can be either: mobile optimized website or mobile e-commerce app (an application that runs on a mobile).

But there is also broader definition of mobile commerce, which includes purchases using mobile websites and mobile apps including, mobile payments, money transfers and mobile-banking and other mobile financial services.

Because of the rapid growth in the number of people using e-commerce through their mobile devices, the value of m-commerce is also growing. As compared to M-commerce, in fact, e-commerce has limited scope as it requires the use of a computer and internet connection, while mobile devices work on satellites.

Time

The number of steps and the time required to complete a mobile shopping transaction is significantly lower than a traditional web browser based experience where one has to use a keyboard and a mouse to upload pictures but in case of a smartphone user, the process is much simpler.

Convenience

M-commerce is more portable because mobile phones are easier to carry anywhere because they are small sized and light weighted, which is not possible with e-commerce. Shopping using a smartphone can be performed even when you are travelling, or you are taking coffee at a coffee shop. Though a laptop is also mobile, but it also does not offer so much convenience.

Availability

M-commerce is more ubiquitous as it is available anywhere you go even if there is no Internet because the Internet may already be available in your mobile phone.

Website vs. Web App

E-commerce is performed using a website, whereas m-commerce can be performed using a mobile application (app) provided by the seller. Although, the popularity of mobile apps is still relatively less and young compared to web, but it is rapidly growing.

In some cases, websites may take time to load & it’s dependent on internet speed, also, websites may have compatibility issues with browsers and mobile devices. That is not in the case of an app. Once it is downloaded, it opens within a fraction of a second. Mobile apps are developed exclusively to work on your mobile devices like smartphones.

Inherent Advantage to M-commerce

The development of e-commerce was due to the rapid growth of Internet, the growth of mobile commerce is due to its convenience of ease of use, and portability and popularity of smartphones. M-commerce is not limited by the same barriers initially faced by e-commerce.

For example, users do not have the same level of apprehension providing their credit card details digitally as they behaved with the first use of e-commerce. For time sensitive simple transactions such as movie ticket-booking, electricity bill payment, and travel reservations etc. m- commerce is seemingly more useful than e-commerce.

Similarly, for many location-based applications, m-commerce tends to be better as it is not limited to being in a place with a computer or laptop.

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