Technology

Mobile Commerce: How is it different than eCommerce?

B2B Mobile Commerce is a method used between businesses to transact sales with one another via mobile devices. B2B stands for Business to Business. Whereas B2C stands for Business to Consumer. Also, B2B Mobile commerce is often referred to as “mCommerce” or “M-commerce” or “B2B mobile eCommerce.” Essentially, these terms are used interchangeably to mean the same thing.

Mobile Commerce was originally coined in 1997 by Kevin Duffey at the launch of the Global Mobile Commerce Forum, to mean “the delivery of electronic commerce capabilities directly into the consumer’s hand, anywhere, via wireless technology Think of Mobile Commerce as meaning “a retail outlet in your customer’s pocket.” Wikipedia

The Difference Between eCommerce & mCommerce

The big difference is this: mCommerce means operating business transactions on the Internet via mobile devices. In contrast, eCommerce means operating business transactions on the Internet via computers or laptops. Hence, they both have the same goal in mind. However, the big difference here is that one method is designed for the agile mobile world; the other for the desk top computer world. As such, the benefits of mobile commerce are simply the inherent benefits of mobility.

Benefits of B2B Mobile Commerce Apps

A personalized buying experience using an app is one of the biggest benefits of B2B Mobile Commerce. For example, when a buyer opens the app, they see products, which they frequently order along with re-order options. With native features like built-in camera bar-code scanning, a mobile app offers quick access to build and send orders; and to view order status and transaction history using the mobile app.

Furthermore, the best B2B Mobile Commerce platforms offer mobile native apps. Mobile native apps run on the device’s operating system. As such, they run disconnected and promote a much better and faster user experience than web apps that interact through an internet browser.

B2B Mobile Commerce is the Future of Enterprise

B2B M-commerce is a natural extension of the B2B eCommerce trend, and it already accounts for 33% of all B2B ecommerce sales. Fully 78% of B2B companies believe that B2B M-commerce is a future driver of their industry.

More importantly, B2B mobile eCommerce continues to eat away at its share of the eCommerce pie.

Mobile commerce apps for B2B are increasing and with good reason — 80% of B2B buyers are using mobile at work, and more than 60% say mobile played a significant role in a recent purchase. With mobile commerce driving or influencing 40% of B2B revenue and 75% of B2B buyers prefer to self-serve than engage with sales reps – the case for dedicated mobile experiences is clear.

For example, for industrial supplier Grainger, 41% of its eCommerce sales flow through its mobile apps. Wholesaler Bulq.com boasts iPhone app revenues up 457% over its desktop experience and a 93% repeat user rate.

“Over half our shoppers are mobile at this point…once people use the app they kind of don’t go back to desktop”
says Larisa Summers, VP of ecommerce.

Mobile is a Driving Force for B2B Companies

B2B customers are already used to mobile e-commerce, as it’s now a “new normal” way of doing business and they rely heavily on their smartphones to do research, compare products, and make purchases. Companies that fail to respond to this trend may experience a decline in revenues, market share, and profitability.

M-commerce Statistics for 2019

Mobile is becoming the new standard for ecommerce. These statistics on mobile commerce for 2019 paint the full picture:

53% of global online traffic comes from mobile devices (Statista)
57% U.S. online traffic comes from mobile devices (BrightEdge)
200% increase in interactions when mobile devices are used (Google)
80% of users will complete sales when sites offer Q/A for mobile users (Google)
72% of all digital ad spending will go to mobile this year (Marketingland)
85% of users begin a sale on one device and complete it on another (Google)
52% of mobile shoppers will shop elsewhere after a bad experience (Google)
57% of mobile shoppers will abandon the cart if load time is 3 seconds or greater (Google)
82% of shoppers browse ecommerce stores from mobile while in-store (Omnicore)
62% of shoppers compare prices from mobile devices before buying (LinkedIn)
$1 trillion in spending offline was influenced by mobile in 2018 (Biznessapps)
Mobile commerce sales topped $626 billion in 2018 (SmartInsights) h