M-Commerce

M-Commerce, what’s m-commerce..? Is it same as e-commerce or is it different? Let’s find about that…. (it out)
The simplest definition for the m – commerce is “E-Commerce over the mobile devices”.
If you prefer some paragraph type definition, here is the kind of a long definition you were looking for:
“M-Commerce is the transaction of real or perceived value in exchange for information, goods or services through mobile devices like Mobile phones, PDAs, Pagers via a public or private network. Known as next generation e-commerce”
M-commerce enables users to access the internet without needing a place to plug in physical media (plugs & wires). The emerging technology behind this concept is Wireless Application Protocol (WAP).
As you refer to these definitions you may understand that m-commerce is represented as a subset of all e-commerce. But m-commerce has some unique business strategies and functions other than e-commerce. Here is a brief comparison between m-commerce and e-commerce.
Technology

E-Commerce
Device : PC
OS : Windows, Unix, Linux
Presentation standards : HTML
Browser : MS Explorer,Firefox,Netscape
Bearer networks : TCP/IP & Fixed Wireline internet


M-Commerce
Device : Smartphone,pagers,PDAs
OS :Symbian, PalmOS, PocketPC
Presentation standards : HTML,WML,HDML,i-Mode
Browser : Phone.com UP Browser, Nokia browser,MS mobile browser
Bearer networks : GSM,GSm/GPRS,TDMA,CDMA,CDPD,paging network


History
Let’s just see how the m-commerce came into the modern business field and how did it become popular through mobile telephony.
In 2000-2001 hundreds of billions of dollars were spend by European telecommunication companies in order to develop mobile commerce application to suit the upcoming improvements of the m-commerce activities. These mobile commerce applications would be delivered through broadband mobile telephony provided by 2.5G and 3G cellular services.
As the rapid development of mobile technologies and equipments, most businesses are beginning to use m-commerce as a more effective way of communication with their customers.
In order to expand the m-commerce market potential, mobile devices manufacturers like Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Motorola and Qualcomm are working with carriers like AT&T wireless and Sprint to develop WAP enabled smart phones. As the rapid development of mobile devices m-commerce has become a major commodity at present business world.


Applications of M-Commerce
Well I hope now you have a general idea about the m-commerce concept. Now you may wonder about what are the e-commerce activities and how they relate to the business process of an organization. Some of the main functions are listed below.
§ Mobile ticketing
Tickets can be booked and cancelled via mobile with the help of simple application, by SMS or online accessing WAP portals of various travel agencies or direct service providers. For examples mobile ticketing for airports, train stations, cinema, and concerts will save both time and money of the customers and increase the revenue by increasing the accessibility to ticket.
§ Content purchase and delivery
Currently mobile purchase is mainly based on downloading ring tones, wallpapers, mp3 and games. When download speed increased to 4G level, download of a movie over a mobile device is just a matter of few seconds.
§ Location based services
The location is an important factor when using m-commerce transactions. Knowing the location of the user allows for location based services such as local offers, people tracking & monitoring.
§ Information services
A variety of information services can be delivered to mobile phone users, such as news services, stock data, sport data, financial data, and traffic data.
§ Mobile banking
This is contains activities like account balance checking, account transactions, payments etc.via SMS or mobile internet. Over the last few years mobile or the wireless online market has been one of the fastest growing industry in the world. With mobile technology banks can offer a wide range of services to their customers such as doing funds transfer while travelling, receive online updates of stocks prices.
§ Mobile brokerage
Stock markets services provide through mobile devices irrespective of time or location are called the mobile brokerage.

§ Auctions
Unlike traditional auctions, they update the customer each time when they place a bid.
§ Mobile purchase
This feature enables a customer to shop online at any time at anywhere. Customer can browse and order products while using cheap secure payment method.
§ Mobile marketing and advertising
Mobile marketing is highly responsive sort of marketing campaign. This concept is specially works for branding companies. They are getting higher response rates from the mobile marketing. Corporations are now using m-commerce to expand everything from services to marketing and advertising.
Why we should know about M-Commerce
When we consider about the 20th century, industrial revolution was the major cause for the waste economical development all aver the world. As we are in the new millennium development of the telecommunication and computer technology is the major trend in world’s next generation economical era. So in the journey to the next generation people have become more and busier with their professional and family lives. In order to balance their aspects with their day today life style people find more easy ways to meet with those needs. The m-commerce is also such an easy way to meet those needs. People can connect themselves to the internet at anytime from anywhere and do online shopping, banking, news searching etc. The growing mobile technologies like 3G, 3.5G, WAP and the growing interest towards the internet and World Wide Web has also improve the usability of the m-commerce activities. As we country like sri lanka we also can see some of the organizations are moving towards m-commerce, for example Sampath Bank, telecommunication providers, Broadcasting channels, private hospitals. So some one hope to enter into the industry in future, it will be a great advantage for you to draw your attention towards M-Commerce concept and have understating to make use of it.