Many a times
we confuse E-commerce with M-Commerce and vice versa. This would not have been a
major aberration five years back from today when the use of mobiles in India was
primarily to make calls and send messages. Mobiles have gathered a whole new
dimension in India today where they are increasingly being used as a means to
surf the internet and gather information. In this context it has become imperative
that all businesses gear up to leverage this platform to know their customers better
and provide them more convenient ways to connect to the business.
Thus emerges
the era of M-Commerce which entails doing transactions over mobile phone. The
portal/website over which the transaction is done should not be the same as
that on a computer. Specially designed mobile portals are a feature of
M-Commerce. These portals are designed to make the experience of mobile
shopping more convenient and have processes designed with limitations of mobile
devices in mind. Some of the important distinctions between M-commerce and
E-Commerce are:
·
Mobility:
E-Commerce can happen from location with internet access while M-Commerce can
happen from anywhere in mobile network area.
·
Customer
concern: E-Commerce customers are more concerned with money because of the free
internet culture whereas M-Commerce customers are time conscious.
·
Locatability:
The client computer can be located via. the IP address in E-Commerce whereas
client’s device and geographic location can be located in M-Commerce.
Why is M-Commerce gaining popularity?
India is
witnessing a dual state of existence where on one hand technology is making a
speedy foray into peoples’ life while on the other hand there is a huge chunk
of population that has not seen a laptop yet. This creates an imbalance that further
creates opportunities for businesses to innovate and discover new ways of
connecting with customers. Mobiles are a strong medium of connecting with
customers all over the country because India has a high level of mobile
penetration. Apart from this, the availability of inexpensive smart phones has
also made it possible for a common man to access all the information available on
the internet through his mobile device. M-commerce thus promises more
penetration in the areas where E-Commerce would find it difficult to establish
itself. Some of the most important areas for Mobile commerce would be rural
India and remote geographical locations where it would be difficult to find a
reliable internet connection. Also, the increasingly pervasive high bandwidth
mobile networks in India also make M-Commerce more viable in the modern
context.
Key to profitability in M-Commerce –
Critical Success Factors
M-Commerce has
a lot of potential in developing countries like India. However, the essential
benefits of M-Commerce can only be realized when the customer is placed at the
core of all process design and company communications. Some factors that will
determine the success of an M-Commerce venture are
·
Ease
of use – The usability of application will determine the success of an
M-Commerce venture. The customer should be able to use the application intuitively
and with least difficulty. The entire user experience will determine the
stickiness of the application and keeping the user engaged will result in
increased revenue and sustainability. Ease of use will include minimum number
of clicks to purchase and search, visible appeal, speed and connectivity of the
application.
·
Range
of devices supported – India is a country that has a very diverse set of users
and consequently a very diverse set of mobile devices. The range of devices
used by the population range from the trendy IPads to the lesser known and inexpensive
smart phones brands. The Operating Systems on these devices are also very
diverse. The E-Commerce application should support these devices and platforms
on these devices to be successful.
·
Security
– the Indian population is still wary about internet transaction. M-Commerce is
a concept that is completely alien in most parts of the country. In such a scenario
that user trust is upheld in all situations. A dent in the trust level will
result in loss of face and customer.
·
Price
– Apart from the CSFs listed above, the primary driver of growth of M-Commerce
will be price to the customer. Mobile applications should be ideally free of
cost and companies should aim at recovering the investment in mobile
applications by innovative ideas like product pricing or writing it off for
intangible gains like customer delight and loyalty.
The underlining
M-Commerce is the way all businesses are moving because of
the tremendous potential it promises. However, to engage the major chunk of
customers who have never experienced transactions over the internet or mobile,
companies will have to bring innovative solution to the table that make the
customers comfortable and trusting.
M-Commerce in healthcare
The following is an idea that we are working on as part of an
academic project. We are planning to develop a mobile application for the
healthcare industry. The idea is content aggregation. The mobile application is
aimed at bringing doctors in a city on a common platform for patients. The
initial draft of the idea is outlined below.
Key Features
·
Signup
using facebook accounts to avoid spending time in collecting data about the
users.
·
Functionality
to search doctors in a city and area of that city. Initially the application will
allow search only in the metros and only certain areas in the metros. A wider
scope in terms of geography and database is a function of evolution of the
application with time.
·
Book
an appointment with a doctor from the list of all doctors presented after the
search.
·
A
brief profile of the doctor is also available along with his/her qualifications
in order to help the user to make decisions.
·
Reviewing
and rating doctor services are another feature that will help users give
feedback about the doctor services.
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