Mobile Commerce Sales Hit Almost 25 Billion! Improve M-Commerce With Same-Day Delivery

Although their were low holiday sales last year, overall m-commerce for the year stood to be very impressive. The results are in for mobile commerce in 2012 and experts do like what they have found.

M-Commerce sales reached an impressive $24.66 billion in 2012 reported E-Marketer via Internet Retailer. The results means m-commerce increased an astounding 81% from a year ago. E-Marketer received the numbers from counting the sales made from tablets, smartphones, and other mobile devices. Retail sales from mobile devices accounted for 11% of online sales last year, which is up from 7% in 2011. EMarketer forecasts m-commerce will increase to 15% in 2013. US m-commerce sales will also rise to 55.7% to $38.4 billion in 2013 as well.

In the article, the research firm giant stated, “EMarketer’s m-commerce forecast reflects a confluence of three trends. First, the expanding number of smartphone shoppers whose behavior affects commerce in all channels; second, the growing number of smartphone buyers who enjoy the immediacy of purchasing through their phone and are expected to generate just over one-third of m-commerce sales this year; and third, the rapid rise in tablet shopping, which will produce the bulk of m-commerce sales over the next four years.”

M-commerce definitely appears like it is here to stay and will only increase in the years to come. Many companies are aware of the trends of m-commerce and are implementing various business strategies to pull shoppers to their retail sites. One of those strategies is offering shoppers a faster way to get their products in their hands via same-day delivery. Wal-Mart, eBay, Macy's, Target, and more are currently testing same-day delivery throughout the US. This type of service creates a huge competitive advantage online.

Same-day courier services like A1Express are able to partner will online retailers and help them be successful with their online deliveries. With the speed of ordering via M-Commerce that shoppers have, an effective delivery solution is vital to your order fulfillments. From small packages to palletized freight, A1Express can delivery fast! The Atlanta courier has the transportation expertise to help your business take the lead in m-commerce.

Reference: 1.10.13, Internet Retailer, Bill Siwicki, M-commerce sales near $25 billion in 2012, up 81%

Retailers Absorb Hit Of Low Holiday Sales, Better Deliveries Helped Online Sales Grow

With a successful Black Friday and Thanksgiving having a record of four $1 billion days of sales, every retailer, whether a small business and large corporation, expected to see more of it. The holiday sales season was on a record pace that the economy had not seen consistently in a while. However, those sales numbers changed for the worst.

Holiday sales grew at the lowest since 2008 reported Fox News via the Associated Press. Sales were expected to grow 3 to 4 percent this year, however, they grew a low 0.7 percent for the two months before Christmas. Even in the midst of the 2008 recession, sales grew at 2 to 3 percent. In 2011, sales increased by 4 to 5 percent. "A lot of the Christmas spirit was left behind way back in Black Friday weekend. We had one reason after another for consumers to say, 'I'm going to stick to my list and not go beyond it.'", stated Marshal Cohen, chief research analyst at NPD Incorporated. It appears most shoppers planned to do the bulk of their shopping during the popular four-day sales extravaganza. Shoppers appeared to not be interested in buying more gifts after that.

Numerous of events had an affect on consumer spending this holiday season. Storm Sandy put the northeast region of the country in the position to spend their extra money on recovery. This part of the country accounts for 24 percent of total retail sales. The devastation of the Newtown shooting right before Christmas caused many Americans to center their attention elsewhere than shopping. The uncertainty of the economy and looming fiscal cliff going into 2013 weighed in also.

Online sales for the holidays grew at least 8.4 percent reported payments card company MasterCard. In contrast, Chase Paymentech released online sales went up 15.3 percent. Either way, retailers are happy they did gain ground online, which makes up 10 percent of holiday sales. Many shoppers utilized their smartphones, iPads, and more to find the best online deals. In addition to deals, online sales also increased due to retailers offering better deliveries. Retailers offered offered later cut-off dates and guaranteed delivery on Christmas Eve, along with free shipping.

Delivering online products fast is becoming more attractive to shoppers, even same-day delivery. Retailers like Wal-Mart, eBay and Macy's are currently offering same-day delivery of their products and testing these services throughout the US. Same-day delivery is as close as shoppers can get to a physical store, which they are able to save time and money. The retailer that can perform same-day delivery will be successful in the years to come.

Same-day couriers like A-1 Express is a viable option to help your order fulfillment and online growth. This San Diego courier is an experienced, professional courier with the ability to fast! From small packages to palletized freight, A-1 Express can help retailers implement courier logistic solutions to meet online demand and expand quickly nationwide.

Reference: 12.26.12. Associated Press, US retailers report weakest holiday sales since 2008; Internet Retailer, Zak Stambor, Mixed messages on holiday sales

Working Out The Kinks Of Mobile Shopping, Same-Day Delivery Makes It Better!

Mobile shopping is becoming more and more a vital aspect of retail business online. The growth of online business during the holidays this year is proof of that. However, many experts feel m-commerce, although it is rising, it still has some kinks that have to be worked out to really cause it to soar like retailers want.

Fortune Magazine reported details on just how shoppers are using the different modes of mobile tech gadgets to shop and many were interesting. Mobile shopping made up 10% of e-commerce in the quarter ending in September. What tech consultants found is that shoppers are not using their smartphones mostly to conduct their online shopping. Many companies envisioned mobile shopping to be easily captured via smartphone, but it's not. In contrast, analysts say it's difficult for consumers to use their smartphone to shop. Forrester analyst Sucharita Mulpuru said in the report, "The smartphone is actually a terrible device to complete a transaction on. There's no question that the tablet is easier."

Tablets are clearly proving to be leading the way. Forrester stated that tablets accounted for 3.2% of all US online retail sales, while smartphones only accounted for 1.5%. More interesting data by Denver online retailer eBags showed 10.8% of tablet traffic and created 10.4% of sales. Smartphone traffic represented 8.4%, however, only accounted for 2.9% of sales. Tablets are similar to having a desktop in your hand and are easier to perform transactions with having bigger screens, buttons, and greater comfort with actual performing transactions. Smartphones appear to be used more so for researching deals, even when inside physical stores comparing prices. Shoppers also will research on their smartphones, and then, make their purchase when they get home.

There are over double the number of smartphones that exist than tablets. EBags is researching how to make the mobile shopping experience more attractive on smartphones by making bigger buttons and eliminating dead spots that receive few clicks. They also want to make it easier to navigate. During Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday, online sales had four days of over $1 billion in spending by shoppers. Mobile devices accounted for 16% of all sales during this high time.

Shoppers also want fast delivery from their mobile devices. Retail giants like Wal-Mart and eBay understand this, and in fact, are currently testing same-day delivery for online orders in San Francisco and other US cities. Amazon offers shoppers to have their purchases delivered in one day to Amazon Locker pick up locations and can be picked up easily by the customer. This is another creative way to deliver online products faster.

Same-day couriers like A-1 Express can partner with any retail company and help bring a competitive advantage to their mobile online sales. Your company can utilize a courier to make same-day deliveries of their products online within a 30 mile radius of your business locations and/or distribution centers throughout the US. The Miami courier has a nationwide footprint and can implement a courier logistics solution to fit the direction of your online business. Mobile shopping with your company will be made more attractive when customers see you can deliver what they buy fast.

Reference: 12.21.12, Fortune Magazine, Verne Kopytoff, Surging yes, but mobile shopping still has a long way to go

Best Places To Start A Business

When starting a business, one of the big key questions taken where should you start it. This is especially important with the current slow economy in the US. The government is looking very highly on those who do start businesses, viewing them a job creators. Sometimes, depending on your market and product, its' best for start-up companies to open their doors in certain cities that fit.

A recent report by CNN Money has found there are cities that are considered the best places to start a business. Within these cities right now, start-ups are experiencing growth. Below are some of the cities on their list.

Boulder, Colorado - Boulder is one the best places to start in the technology industry. Entrepreneurs say it has similarities to Silicon Valley, yet without the high costs to start there. You will find investors and mentors there. The city has less than 300,000 people, however, attracts a large amount of venture capital. The highlight in Boulder is their TechStar start-up development program. Since 2007, the program has helped 65 start-ups generate $115 million in funding.

Cincinnati, Ohio - The city had falling venture capital, however, big corporations have started what is called Cintrifuse. The program provides office space, connections, and access to investors nationwide via a special funding program. CincyTech, a nonprofit venture capital provider, also assists start-ups with early funding and mentoring classes.

Des Moines, Iowa - The city is becoming more popular for start-ups. Organizations such as StartupCity Des Moines, are helping to provide work space, funding and networking opportunities for companies beginning there. Start-up Iowa, which exists under the Start-up America initiative, hosts educational events and network opportunities.

Omaha, Nebraska - The Big Omaha is a conference the city holds, promoting entrepreneurship and innovation. Entrepreneurs throughout the Midwest attend this yearly event. Start-ups also have at their disposal the Silicon Prairie News, a digital media company that helps the start-up business community as a whole. The report also stated Omaha is home of many large corporations that are looking for start-up companies to work with.

Whatever your business may be, start-up businesses also need to handle the growth, which with the increases of e-commerce and online selling, can occur at a rapid pace. With the need to fulfill orders, nationwide couriers such as A-1 Express can be a viable option to help make deliveries as a start-up company. This Indianapolis courier is able to create specific courier logistic solutions fit for your company. A-1 Express has quick courier implementation and can make it easier to meet demand in other markets.

Reference: 11.27.12, CNN Money, Jose Pagliery, Cities Where Startups Are Thriving

Cyber Monday Hits Record Sales, Couriers Offer Online Deliveries Faster

Holiday online sales were underway in strong fashion yesterday. Experts were forecasting online sales to increase on Cyber Monday, but didn't know they would be as impressive as they were, even record-breaking.

MSN reported this Cyber Monday was the biggest in its' history. Sales grew this year over 30% overall, according to the IBM benchmark, which performs the sales tracking. "Cyber Monday was not only the pinnacle of the Thanksgiving shopping weekend but when the cash register closed it officially became the biggest online shopping day ever," said Jay Henderson, strategy director at IBM. Data tracking firm, ComScore, had a different figure of 20% increase from 2011, yet still is an online sales record of $1.5 billion.

Department stores saw the highest online sales growth with 43%. Wal-Mart and BestBuy are a few examples of retailers that viewed it was a must to be involved in Cyber Monday. These were also two retailers among those that users searched for the most online. So far this holiday season, online sales are higher than in-store sales.

Online shopping still only makes up 10% of the total retail sales. However, with the heavy numbers from Cyber Monday, retailers are seeing consumers are becoming more comfortable shopping online. Mobile devices, such as smartphones, tablets and iPads, are adding a higher level of convenience and shopping ease. Shopping online will continue to grow, as well as the customer demand to receive their products delivered to their front door faster.

Same-day couriers like A-1 Express are able to help e-retailers offer delivery their online products faster. Companies such as eBay, Macy's, Target, and even Wal-Mart, are already testing same-day delivery in several of their markets. A-1 Express is a nationwide courier with the courier expertise to meet any of your online order fulfillment needs, even during the fast-paced holiday season. Whether a small business or large corporation, A-1 Express can provide a fast courier solution to help you take advantage of the online sales growth.

Reference: 11.27.12, Yahoo News/CNNMoney, Blake Ellis, Cyber Monday sales reach new record