Canadian Retailer - Fall 2016 - 30

M-COMMERCE

the device's operating system (OS), with
shopping applications able to use existing
information associated with the OS. The
company expects this category to represent most touch-based payments for now.
The second type of m-commerce service
is linked to existing payment service providers. Here, a consumer would open an account with the payment provider and elect
to stay logged in for future purchases. Once
that happens, the user would just have to
press the "buy" and "confirm" buttons.
Deloitte says the goal is to "convert payment from a frustrating to a friction-free
experience". One merchant said that with
their legacy app the checkout process took
103 seconds; third-party touch payment
slashed that to 17 seconds. Touch commerce
could also spur more impulse purchasing.

chasing, checking the price, using a store locater, using a
mobile coupon, and reading a product review.
As well, says Nielsen, about 25 per cent of smartphone
owners will use their mobile to comment on a purchase on
a social networking site or write a review of a purchase.
ReShift's Buors says that consumers expect a full experience, whether in a physical store, on their laptop or
tablet browsing a retail website, or on their mobile. "You
want to make sure that your digital presence is optimized
for your customers. Whatever you build has to work equally well for everything the customer expects."
Even if you're not mobile first, you better be mobile friendly, says Ghassan Halazon, CEO of Transformational Capital,
parent company of online shopping destination shop.ca. He
says retailers will sometimes create a secondary mobile
environment, one that sort of mimics the desktop environment but that's lacking for the mobile experience.
"If you receive users in a way that's mobile friendly,
you're more prone to get better conversions," says Halazon.
"Larger images have proven to be super successful, and incorporating social dynamics
"Ultimately, you want to give consumers choice
provides an additional viral loop."
and allow them to pay how they want to pay. It's
Bravado Designs is one brand that's in
important to look at the entire purchase lifecycle, the midst of redesigning their mobile channel, recognizing that their market tends to
pre-purchase and post-purchase, to steer more
use mobile first. Bravado started in Toronto
customers to you, and have them spend more
24 years ago, when two moms couldn't find
when they're there and come back."
a comfortable or stylish nursing bra. They
made their own at the kitchen table using
- JONATHAN MAGDER, Accenture
extra leopard print fabric. Today, their nursThe Organisation for Economic Co-opering bras and tanks are sold all over North America, as well
ation and Development (OECD) once stated
as in Europe and Asia.
that "money's destiny is to become digital".
"We're working to create a more beautiful and aligned
That isn't surprising. The OECD notes
experience between mobile and desktop," says Julie Pham,
that money has been on the path towards
the company's Digital Marketing Manager. "Everything on
greater abstraction not for years or decades
the screen should be accessible, to create a visual appetite."
but for millennia. Other historical shifts in
Bravado's analytics revealed that a high percentage of
payments-whether from barter to beads, or
mothers are learning about maternity and breastfeeding
cash to credit-likely caused similar shockproducts on mobile. This fall, Bravado will advertise on a
waves for merchants and consumers as the
pregnancy and baby health website that has high mobile
move towards mobile payments.
traffic. "Moms are consuming that information on their moThere is a difference from those past
bile device and want to be where moms are," says Pham.
trends. Beyond the advantages of a new
Increasingly, mobile is the digital storefront and can
form of payment, m-commerce is helping
level the playing field. For example, large chains have an
retailers to reach out to existing and poinherent advantage with their locations and marketing
tential customers in new ways.
budgets. However, as Buors notes, mobile suits exploration. If you look for a product or service via mobile, search
Connected shoppers are smart shoppers
engines and social media platforms will apply a geoConnected shoppers are smart shopgraphic filter. "For a local business trying to get visibility,
pers, states Nielsen, the consumer rethis can be a godsend," says Buors.
search company. They report that the
If that local business can promote how it's part of the commost frequent shopping activities via momunity and how it understands or caters to its customers, all
bile are researching an item before purthe better. "You can differentiate yourself, not just because

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CANADIAN RETAILER | FALL 2016

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Canadian Retailer - Fall 2016