Shopping Done Using Cell Phones


News from Panama / Monday, December 2nd, 2013

Let’s see, do I want to go to Walmart on Black Friday and fight my way (literally) through the crowd, or do I want to shop online on Cyber Monday.  Looking at some of the videos from this last week of “Welcome Walmart Shoppers”, I am glad to  chose to do my shopping on line and have it delivered here to Panama.  The merchandise will arrive in about 10 days and if I keep my gifts under $100, I pay no duty. If retailers in Latin America are as smart as they have been in the US and China, they will find that eCommerce could literally double their business.

Devices connected to the internet will revolutionize consumption not only in terms of the way things are bought but also in the interaction between consumers and retailers.  Mobile devices continue to change buying habits and defining the profile of the online shopper was the topic of discussion at Mobile Commerce Congress, the first conference dedicated exclusively to mobile commerce as a new sales tool for retailers, conducted in Spain.

E-commerce is a channel with increasing strategic importance for large, medium and small companies whose business is focused on selling goods and services to third parties, wearable devices (mobile internet devices that are portable) are revolutionizing consumption. Not only in the way we buy, but in how consumers and retailers interact.

The evolution of the 4 screens (cell phones, tablets, computers and SmartTVs), define the way to reach consumers, and each unit will have its functionality, so employers must find a way to forge synergies with these channels in orden to lead consumers to make a purchase.