It’s nigh impossible to overstate the impact smartphones have had on the way we live, work, play, socialize, and, of course, shop. Who could have thought there would come a day when we'd be using mobile devices to buy clothes, groceries, and everything else?
Say hello to mobile commerce (m-commerce).
Mobile is the direction in which consumer spending habits are headed, and it won't be long until facilitating commercial transactions on smartphones and other handheld devices become a business necessity.
In this article, we'll take a detailed look at what mobile commerce is, the benefits of mobile commerce, and some platforms you can use to get your business mobile-ready. You'll also learn the difference between ecommerce and m-commerce, and what trends are poised to shape the mobile landscape in the coming years.
What Is Mobile Commerce?
Mobile commerce (shortened to m-commerce) is the act of buying and selling products online through mobile devices. Unlike ecommerce, where the focus is on a company's online store, consumers shop from brands and retailers through several channels on their phones, including social media, mobile commerce apps, mobile websites, and more.
With the rise in tablet and smartphone ownership, m-commerce is becoming more and more mainstream.
The trajectory for handheld device transactions continues upward, with projections indicating revenues will surpass $710 billion by 2025. This represents a significant opportunity for businesses willing to optimize their mobile presence.
These stats are a clear indication that people have warmed to the idea of shopping on mobile devices, which means more opportunities for businesses willing to adapt.
Mobile Commerce Applications
Mobile commerce isn't just limited to the buying and selling of goods through mobile-specific channels. There's a host of other mobile commerce applications available.
Mobile Bookings
Consumers can book event tickets via their smartphones. Brands can take bookings through a dedicated mobile app or website and send a digital QR-equipped ticket directly on the customer's mobile phone. Everyone from concert organizers to sporting venues can take advantage of mobile bookings.
App-Specific Marketing And Discounts
Letting mobile users learn about discounts, discover loyalty programs, and locate nearby stores is a huge business opportunity. Dunkin' Donuts, for example, lets its customers use the Dunkin' Donuts Mobile app to earn loyalty points, find the nearest store, and even place orders in advance. This is by no means a new practice, but it’s easier now to create your own app, so you don’t have to be a big business to roll one out.
On-Demand Solutions
On-demand m-commerce is on the rise after the success of Uber and other ride-hailing services. These on-demand solutions enable people to buy and receive services and products at a place and time of their choosing.
Pre-orders
It's common now for people to pre-order items via mobile before they visit a store. This allows consumers to save, while retailers get to enjoy a sale and prep the product in advance. For example, the Canadian Tire Corporation allows people to shop for automotive parts and hardware via mobile, pay in advance, and pick up the product from their vendor's location.
When you start with m-commerce, these are some of the important use cases to think about.
For ecommerce merchants, mobile commerce applications like app-based discounting and advanced order placements can play a key role in enhancing the customer experience.
Benefits of Mobile Commerce
Here's a quick look at the advantages of m-commerce that apply to both small and large businesses.
Multiple Payment Options
Today, almost every mobile commerce platform offers a range of payment solutions, enabling you to make shopping convenient for the consumer. People can pay for their orders via credit card, PayPal, Stripe, or a digital wallet service like Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, or Shopify Pay.
For instance, the Shopify store Brilliant Bicycle Co. offers both PayPal and mobile-first payment options to the people shopping through its mobile website.
Ubiquity
With m-commerce, companies can connect with their target audiences electronically from any city, region, or country in real time. There are no geographical or physical boundaries. Also, mobile GPS can be used to recommend nearby stores.
For example, you can send push notifications featuring deals and announcements to people who are within five miles of your store via a mobile app or SMS.
With convenience, speed, and personalization at the heart of mobile commerce, you can deliver an enticing shopping experience, substantially better than what you might offer on the web or in store.
Omnichannel Customer Experience
Mobile commerce also makes it easy to merge online and in-store experiences. Using mobile-specific comparison pages, QR codes, and geo-fenced discounts, you can cater to the needs of the omnichannel customer.
Research shows that many shoppers use various touchpoints throughout their purchasing journey, including handheld devices for tasks like accessing coupons or evaluating pricing.
The key takeaway from the rise of the omnichannel customer is that your shopping cycle should merge the buyer experience across channels, including desktop, mobile, and any in-store placements.
Luxury retailer Neiman Marcus, for instance, lets consumers use its app to take a photo of a handbag or a pair of shoes they like inside a brick-and-mortar store, which is then used to search the Neiman Marcus database to see if something similar is available to buy online. If the store has a similar-looking product, consumers can immediately buy it through the app.
Improved Customer Satisfaction
When you meet shoppers on the platforms they already frequent daily, you're providing them with enhanced service quality. This accessibility can result in stronger customer loyalty since they don't need to adjust their browsing preferences to accommodate your business model.
Instant Gratification
Today's consumers expect rapid fulfillment. Major retailers have set high standards with expedited delivery options, and while not every small business can match these shipping speeds, creating a streamlined mobile shopping journey helps customers feel they can swiftly and effortlessly order.
Limitations to Mobile Commerce
M-commerce is not without its limitations and challenges. Common pitfalls include:
Comparison Shopping
One of the advantages of m-commerce is that it’s easy for consumers to compare prices. But this cuts both ways for businesses. Since it's so easy to compare costs online, it's also easy for people to comparison-shop.
For example, if you're offering a T-shirt for $20, a potential customer only needs to spend a few minutes on their mobile to see if they can get a better price elsewhere. The best way to counter this barrier is to keep up with your competitors.
Do your own comparison shopping to find how much they sell similar products for and then find ways to compete. As an example, you can offer a complimentary item along with your product to portray higher value.
Easy to Get Distracted
Mobile users are often doing several different things at once. It's common for them to be on a call while scrolling through a brand's app or ecommerce store. Or, a customer might land on your website and then quickly open Instagram. With so much happening on mobile, it's easy for users to get distracted.
To capture people's attention, try generating a positive emotional feeling with your mobile app or promotion. For instance, you can surprise your customers with a freebie or a discount when they're least expecting it.
Privacy Concerns
When it comes to sharing their personal information via mobile, people are naturally concerned about their privacy. The fear arises from incidents of database hacks that lead to fraudulent transactions. Also, hackers may release fake apps that seem to be genuine and use them to steal customer data.
You can address these concerns by ensuring the mobile commerce solution or website you go with has security built-in. In addition, you can publish a privacy policy page and present users with a clear set of terms, so that they know how their information is being stored and shared.
Continuous Optimization Needs
Technology constantly evolves to improve experiences for both merchants and buyers, and mobile commerce follows this pattern. You'll need to regularly refine your handheld platform or application to maintain optimal performance. Investing in an ecommerce content management system like Shopify's helps ensure your site stays current with the newest enhancements.
Page Loading Delays
How quickly your pages load significantly affects whether visitors can successfully access your site from their phones. Research indicates that loading times on handheld devices tend to be considerably slower than on desktop computers. When customers can't access your site promptly, they're more likely to leave before completing a purchase.
Mobile Commerce Apps vs. Websites
The first step to getting started is to choose the right mobile commerce platform. You can either go with a mobile app or a mobile website. Depending on the nature of your business and the route you take, there'll be certain platform options available to you.
If you're running an online store and decide to go with an app, you'll have the option to use the native app of your solution provider. Shopify, for example, offers a mobile app that allows its users to manage products, process orders, and see live sales and visitor stats. Combine it with a Shopify theme that looks good on mobile, and you're all set.
The other option is to create a custom-branded app. This is available to all types of businesses and doesn't necessarily require you to hire a developer. With the right mobile commerce platform, you should be able to create an app yourself.
Below are some options to consider:
Thunkable
Thunkable lets you build native mobile apps that your customers can use to shop from your brand at any time and place. You just need to drag and drop the different elements and merge them together with blocks. The dashboard is user-friendly, and there's also an active community that's willing to answer any app-related questions you may have.
Appy Pie
Appy Pie is a DIY mobile commerce platform that doesn't require any programming skills and supports app creation for both Android and iOS. After you sign up as a user, you'll just need to drag and drop components to customize your design. Notable features of this platform include the ability to monetize ads, track mobile users' visits and send push notifications to engage potential customers.
Creating a Mobile Website
Alternatively, you can create a mobile website for your brand. All of the modern content management systems and ecommerce solutions offer responsive, mobile-friendly themes to help users create a website that looks just as great on a phone as it does on desktop.
However, choosing a mobile theme won't change your site's URL or redirect visitors to an exclusive mobile webpage. Also, your site will still be hosted on the CMS or ecommerce platform you signed up with.
For using the “m.mywebsite.com” URL and hosting your mobile website externally, you'll need to use a dedicated mobile website builder. A good option is Duda. You can use it to create and edit your mobile website from anywhere. Duda has options to set up branded emails, manage SEO settings, and more.
At the end of the day, whether you go with an app or a mobile website, you're likely to experience an increase in sales.
Another emerging option worth considering is progressive web apps (PWAs). These function as mini applications that still operate within a browser, yet they load much faster than standard web pages. They're more economical and quicker to develop, making them an ideal choice for many businesses seeking to deliver a native mobile shopping experience without the full cost of traditional app development.
Mobile Commerce Trends to Watch
The competition for mobile shoppers' business is rising, so you need to differentiate yourself to stand out. A great way to do this is to capitalize on future trends.
With the steady growth of mobile technology and its complementary features, here are some trends you can expect to encounter in 2026 and beyond.
Chatbots
Powered by AI and designed to chat like humans, chatbots are enabling brands to reach and engage with customers in real time. Several big names like Pizza Hut, Starbucks, and Uber are using this technology to suggest products and take orders from their customers. These automated assistants are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their ability to provide shopping assistance and answer customer questions.
One of the latest mobile commerce trends is to integrate them into a mobile app or website. Creating an in-app chatbot requires development knowledge, but with the introduction of platforms like Instabot, you can expect it to become accessible to everyone.
Location-Based Communications
Another trend to watch out for is location-based mobile marketing. Notification pushes based on people's movements are enabling companies to give personalized offers to those who come within a certain distance of their product.
Consumers already have a preference for location-based offers. Research shows that a significant portion of shoppers desire location-based coupon services that alert them when they pass a favorite product in an aisle.
You can also jump on the location bandwagon by signing up to platforms like Localytics. The platform allows you to use geofences and beacons to trigger location-based communications. Push notifications can also be used to link customers to your mobile app or website.
Augmented Reality (AR)
Augmented reality technologies leverage the camera of the mobile device to reproduce digital content into the physical world. The advantages of AR for brands and retailers are numerous. The biggest benefit is that it allows your customers to see what your products look like in real life.
For instance, Bob’s Discount Furniture offers a shopping app that allows people to experience furniture in their houses through augmented reality. Customers are able to easily and quickly analyze the feel and fit of the products in the room they plan to furnish.
Fortunately, getting started with AR has become easier with the launch of platforms like Blippar, which anyone can use to create interactive AR experiences.
Social Commerce Integration
Nearly every social media platform now provides some form of social commerce capability, and those that don't likely have it in development. Take full advantage by establishing an online catalog on each of your social media platforms.
Platforms offering social commerce include Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest, and Snapchat. You can establish online shops or product catalogs on your social media profiles, simplifying the process of tagging and promoting your merchandise. Shoppers can then complete purchases without ever exiting the social media application.
One-Click Checkout Solutions
Express checkout options represent one of the newest developments in ecommerce. The website you're shopping on gathers information saved to your device, such as your name, email address, shipping address, and preferred payment method, allowing you to complete purchases with minimal effort.
This speed makes the checkout process incredibly easy, and when purchasing becomes effortless and convenient, shoppers tend to increase their spending. Multiple express checkout options exist, including Shopify's Shop Pay.
Personalized Product Recommendations
Personalization has become an essential component of boosting sales in your online store, particularly regarding mobile commerce. When customers shop on their phones, they're less inclined to browse through your entire catalog. You need to simplify the process of discovering additional product options.
You should tailor recommendations based on a customer's purchase history. If the customer has run out of something, you can feature a “Reorder” area on your site, or suggest complementary items that pair well with their previous purchases.
The Rise Of Mobile Apps
Mobile applications deliver a seamless shopping interface designed specifically for handheld devices. These programs typically load faster and are optimized for mobile use. App usage has significantly outweighed browser usage on mobile devices in recent years.
Apps make the mobile experience more seamless, as they're built for mobile use. Screen resolution doesn't matter; the native app loads far quicker than a mobile website, and it's easy to find products and complete the checkout process inside the app.
Final Verdict
Incorporating mobile commerce into your online sales strategy will need to happen sooner than later.
It's a matter of having the right knowledge and researching the features of different platforms to know what works and what doesn't. By learning how m-commerce functions, using the right platform, and jumping on trends early, you'll be able to gain an edge over your competitors.
Mobile Commerce FAQ
What Is Mobile Commerce?
Mobile commerce (m-commerce) is selling and purchasing products through mobile devices. Consumers shop from brands and retailers through channels on their phones, including social media, mobile commerce apps, mobile websites, and more.
What Are The Advantages Of M-Commerce?
There are many advantages to m-commerce, including giving customers multiple payment options from traditional credit cards to digital wallets, ease of use in many geographies, localized push notifications, a more omnichannel customer experience, faster gratification, and meeting returning or potential customers where they already are (scrolling through their mobile devices).
What Are The Drawbacks Of M-Commerce?
While m-commerce provides your customers with many benefits, there are drawbacks to mobile. Ease-of-use is definitely an advantage, but most likely, other brands are capitalizing on that aspect of mobile, causing your customers to comparison shop and maybe churn from your storefront. It’s also very easy to get distracted on mobile, and there are privacy concerns to consider, which can change depending on your market.
What Are The Key M-Commerce Trends To Watch In 2026?
M-commerce technologies follow similar trends to how ecommerce and other businesses are evolving. AI chatbots are becoming more and more ubiquitous, as are location-based communications that offer location-based offerings. Some m-commerce brands are turning to augmented reality (AR) to give customers a sense of their products in their own space, and single-click checkouts and personalized recommendations, powered by AI in many cases, are becoming more popular. Also, more businesses are developing their own apps so that customers never have to leave their ecosystem.