System

Mobile Commerce or mCommerce is a rapidly growing industry. Mobile Commerce is defined as, “Any transaction, involving the transfer of ownership or rights to use goods and services, which is initiated and/or completed by using mobile access to computer-mediated networks with the help of an electronic device.”(1) 

Mobile Commerce is a system that has been driven by the electronic age. People can purchase products or services use their cell phone or wireless tablet. A popular product used by thousands is the ebook. mCommerce allows a person to wirelessly download an entire book through Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble’s online site. With a Kindle or the Kindle app on a smart phone a person can simply search for the book they want to read, find the book and download it to the Kindle. In this example, one system is negatively affecting another. Within the past year the sale of ebooks have surpassed the sale of paperback books.(2)

Another use of mCommerce is for paying bills and banking. Many companies like Geico, HSBC, Chase, and even the student loan company AES allow people to use their wireless devices to pay bills. This system gives people with a time restricted schedule an easy and fast way to complete their transactions. Many people today are using their wireless devices for mobile banking and more people begin to use this service every year. Over the past 3 years mobile banking has doubled and by 2015, one in five US adults will be using mobile banking.(3)

Mobile Commerce is still in its infancy. The systems involved in mCommerce are growing and evolving constantly. Its ease of use and efficience insures that mCommerce will only grow and expand and so will the systems that support mCommerce.

1)      Wikipedia  “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_commerce”

2)      Pepitone, Julianne (April 15, 2011)   “http://money.cnn.com/2011/04/15/technology/ebooks_beat_paperbacks/index.htm”   CNN.

3)      Higdon, Emmet (Janurary 31, 2011) “http://www.forrester.com/rb/Research/us_mobile_banking_forecast%2C_2010_to_2015/q/id/57446/t/2” Forrester Research