All Annotations of E-COMMERCE AND DEVELOPMENT REPORT 2002[Preview]

saved byAyoom . on 2008-05-01

• Data portability. Users can store profiles of prod-

  
  

  ucts, company addresses, information about

  
  

  restaurants and hotels, banking details, payment

  
  

  and credit card details, and security informa-

  
  

  tion, and access these when needed for pur-

  
  

  chases or for making contact, all from their

  
  

  mobile handsets
• Most m-commerce is B2C where micro-pur-

  
  

  chases are involved. Larger transactions continue to be

  
  

  conducted using the usual e-commerce methods.
• A number of unique

  
  

  advantages of m-commerce have been identified:

  
  

  • Immediacy. Consumers are constantly moving,

  
  

  working, commuting, travelling, socializing and

  
  

  shopping. M-commerce lets them buy goods

  
  

  and services as soon as the need arises.

  
  

  • Connectivity. Users sharing a common location or

  
  

  interest can be instantly connected via text mes-

  
  

  saging and mobile chat capabilities. Advertisers

  
  

  can use such access to promote products and

  
  

  make special offers with the expectation that

  
  

  subscribers will answer and listen to their mes-

  
  

  sages.

  
  

  • Localization. With the deployment of positioning

  
  

  technologies, such as the global positioning sys-

  
  

  tem (GPS), companies can know users’ where-

  
  

  abouts and will be able to offer goods and serv-

  
  

  ices specific to their location