Mobile Commerce (M-Commerce) Key Terms

Terms to know when getting involved in mobile commerce

Mobile commerce, sometimes known as m-commerce, is the evolving field of using the technology of cellular phones to sell and market to customers and potential customers. This includes the more advanced subset called smart phones. As more and more people purchase phones that do more than simply make phone calls, more and more options are available to those who come up with clever ways to use this technology.

One form of mobile commerce that you can use is mobile marketing. Whether it's in the form of simple text messages or mobile vouchers or coupons, you may find a way to use it for your business. Some businesses may be able to provide actual content delivery via cell phone, including mobile ticketing, and other businesses will provide services such as mobile banking or location-based services.

 

Mobile marketing

Mobile marketing involves finding ways to use mobile technology to market to people, either as a primary marketing campaign or to use this technology as part of an overall marketing program.
Try: Find out more about mobile marketing at the mobile marketing center of the Cell Signs website.

Mobile vouchers or coupons

Companies may send mobile vouchers or coupons to a person's cell phone. These coupons can either offer them a special discount off of a purchase, or offer them a certain dollar amount of free merchandise. A voucher would most often work like a gift card, and a coupon would often be a marketing device to entice people to shop at a specific store.
Try: Mobile Vouchers describes this concept and provides case studies for this mobile commerce option.

Content delivery

Content delivery refers to actually getting the product into the hands of the consumer. You can deliver content via cell phone and other mobile devices. This content may include mobile vouchers, mobile tickets, ringtones, video, audio and text files and software applications designed to run on smart phones.
Try: Read an article about m-commerce that discusses trends including content delivery at ECT News Network.

Mobile ticketing

Mobile ticketing is when, instead of issuing a paper ticket for an event, a person has a ticket sent to and stored on his or her cell phone. This feature can be used whether the person purchased the ticket using the phone or by different means.
Try: Hand Held Products describes mobile ticketing solutions that it offers. You can also get an overview at the company's homepage.

Mobile banking

Mobile banking refers to providing banking services that users can take advantage of from their cell phones or smart phones.
Try: Read an article about mobile banking at "xchange," a division of Virgo Publishing.

Location-based services

Location-based services are services that get information from the user or their cell phone about their exact current location and utilize that information. Examples can include weather, traffic and mapping services, but could include targeted advertising to those in or near the location of a business.
Try: Learn all about m-commerce-related, location-based services at MobileInfo.com.

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