Global Digital Economy - E-Commerce, E-Payments and M-Commerce

Synopsis

E-Commerce has become a very important area of focus for Internet media players, financial institutions and payment processing firms alike. The e-commerce and m-commerce sectors must represent one of the most innovative and rapidly evolving sectors worldwide; with the speed that new services, features and companies appear (and disappear) quite a spectacle to observe.

Person-to-Person email payment has become a hot topic with Google and Square launching services. Banks are also realising the world is changing and social banking is becoming a key trend and the Internet media companies continue to battle for supremacy in this vibrant market.

Mobile commerce is one of the hottest sectors right now and it is gaining importance for a wide range of industries, including telecommunications, IT, finance, retail and the media, as well as for end-users. It works best in those areas where it can emphasise the core virtue of mobile networks – convenience. The enormous success of smart phones is linked to the Apps which are available and increasingly commercial models will be linked to these apps - which will result in further spectacular growth in m-commerce. BuddeComm sees the development of m-wallets as a major breakthrough for the m-payment sector and beyond, and could indeed be a game changer.

This BuddeComm Intelligence Report provides industry insights and information on the e-commerce sectors. The report includes selected information on the leading trends in this sector and provides examples and statistics, where available. Please note a separate report is available on the global m-commerce sector.

Key developments:

In 2014 mobile cloud-based payments are being explored via HCE technology; The level of sophistication needed to build omni-channel systems makes it difficult for many smaller organisations to keep up with the trend; In 2013 Google launched a B2B e-commerce search service, expanding upon its initial Google Shopping offering; Online banking continues to grow in popularity with North American users the most prolific; In 2014 it will be interesting to observe developments with the virtual currency Bitcoin.

Companies mentioned:

Facebook; Foursquare; Google; Visa; Samsung; Ebay/PayPal; Amazon; Bitcoin.