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M-Commerce: Definition, Examples, Types and Benefits in 2025
In today's fast-paced digital world, M-Commerce (Mobile Commerce) is reshaping how people shop, bank, and interact with businesses. As smartphones become an integral part of our daily lives, businesses are leveraging mobile platforms to enhance customer experiences and drive sales.
The term M-Commerce has gained popularity over the past few years. It's used to describe a digital era that is enabling consumers to make purchases across various digital platforms.
What is M-Commerce?
M-Commerce, deals with buying and selling of goods and services through smartphones, tablets etc using digital transactions. It doesn’t require physical contact between two people for sending or receiving the money.
5 Examples of M-Commerce in 2025
- Mobile Shopping Apps: Amazon, eBay etc allow users to browse and purchase items via mobile devices.
- Mobile Banking: Banking mobile apps for money transfers, bill payments using Chase mobile, Capital one etc
- Mobile Ticketing: Customers can book movie tickets- Cinepolis, flight tickets- Expedia etc through mobile apps.
- Digital Wallets: Services like Apple Pay, PayPal and Google Wallet provide contactless payment options.
- Food Delivery: Platforms like Uber Eats, DoorDash, GrubHub etc provide in-dine and food delivery services using smartphones.
According to Wikipedia, the term mobile commerce was originally coined in 1997 by Kevin Duffey at the launch of the Global Mobile Commerce Forum, to mean “the delivery of electronic commerce capabilities directly into the consumer’s hand, anywhere, via wireless technology.”
7 Main Types of M-Commerce
1. Mobile Shopping:
It's most common type, here customers browse for Groceries, daily essentials, electronics etc. It can be done through dedicated apps, websites, or even social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram that allow in-app purchases.
2. Purchasing app-delivery stuff:
This type deals with the services related to Food delivery, cab pickup or any other e-commerce app using their smartphones or tablets.
3. Mobile banking:
Mobile banking help customers to manage their accounts, fund transfer, receive payments, check bank statement etc . The transactions are made from specific apps designed by apps, though some financial services.
4. Mobile App payments:
It primarily focuses on making payment transactions through digital wallets, mobile payment apps and Near Field Communication (NFC). The user is required to register their credit or debit card and then use it whenever they want.
5. Purchasing or renting digital content:
This involves buying or renting online services like Music Streaming, Video Streaming, or commodity-based on a rent basis using platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Lionsgate etc.
6. Trading and Investing apps:
These apps provide customers with options of trading and investing in stock market, mutual fund, options, bonds, cryptocurrency, commodity, forex etc with transparency.
7. Mobile Ticketing –
It provides customer the ability to purchase and access tickets for events, transportation, or other services directly through a mobile device. It eliminates the need for physical tickets by displaying them digitally on a smartphone or tablet, providing ease of access.
How does Mobile Commerce work?
M-commerce can be categorized by function as either mobile shopping, mobile banking, or mobile payments. A subcategory of mobile shopping is app commerce, which is a transaction that takes place over a native app.
1. Mobile Applications and Websites:
- Businesses create mobile-friendly websites or dedicated apps that allow users to browse products or services.
- These platforms offer a seamless shopping experience with features like product search, recommendations, reviews etc.
2. User Authentication:
- Users typically register by creating an account or logging in via social media or email.
- Security measures such as two-factor authentication (2FA) are used to protect user data.
3. Product Selection and Cart Management:
- Customers select products and add them to their shopping cart.
- They can modify quantities, apply discount codes, review their selections etc before purchase.
4. Payment Processing:
- Mobile commerce supports multiple payment options such as:
- Credit/debit cards
- Digital wallets (e.g., Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal)
- Mobile banking
- Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) services
- Secure encryption and tokenisation technologies protect payment information.
5. Order Fulfillment and Tracking:
- Once payment is confirmed, the business processes the order and ships the product.
- Customers receive order tracking updates via SMS, email, or app notifications.
6. Mobile Payment Technologies:
- Various technologies facilitate mobile payments, including:
- Near Field Communication (NFC): Contactless payments.
- QR Codes: Scan to pay.
- Mobile Point of Sale (mPOS): Businesses use smartphones or tablets to accept payments.
7. Security Measures:
- Mobile commerce platforms implement encryption, biometric authentication (fingerprint, face recognition), and fraud detection to ensure secure transactions.
8. Customer Support:
- Many mobile commerce platforms offer chatbots, live chat, and customer service features for inquiries and returns.
Applications of Mobile Commerce
To stay competitive in this fast-paced world, businesses must have a strong digital presence. Having a combination of mobile-friendly websites, mobile-friendly checkout and fast mobile website performance will create ease of buying environment, hence increasing sales.
Some of the applications of mobile commerce are-
1. M-Commerce for finance
2. M-Commerce for Retail and After-sale Services
3. M-commerce & Mobile ticketing
4. M-commerce & Mobile Marketing
5. M-commerce for mobile entertainment
6. M-commerce for hotel reservations
7. M-commerce for Healthcare & Medicine
8. M-commerce for Information
9. M-commerce for Gaming
10. M-commerce for Intra-office communication
Advantages or Pros of M-Commerce
- Increases the amount of customer retention.
- Wider variety of commodities and services.
- More options for selecting the product.
- Convenient for the consumer to compare the pricing, product reviews and make purchases.
- Multiple options for payments like credit card, debit card payments, UPI, internet banking etc.
- Better user experience.
- Convenience and accessibility.
- Faster transactions.
- Personalised shopping experience through AI and analytics.
- Widens businesses reach.
Disadvantages or Cons of M-Commerce
- Initial cost of M-commerce begin a business is high.
- Poor network strength and low bandwidth speed.
- Security and privacy risk.
- Poor designed app can lead to customer dissatisfaction.
- Mobile payment is still not available across many locations in the world.
- Device compatibility issue.
- Limited screen size hampers proper product viewing.
- Limited digital literacy.
- Fraud websites and apps discourages customers.
- Advertisers spamming.
Future scope of M-Commerce
M-Commerce is rapidly expanding in today’s time. Everyone is busy and they don’t have the time or energy to go to the market and buy stuff for themselves. Instead, they prefer ordering from their home themselves.
The biggest trend for M-Commerce is its market share/ growth. M-Commerce spending in 2018 was calculated at $501 Billion and it is expected to grow by approx $1 Trillion by 2026.
Major Trends for M-Commerce indicating Great Future Scope
- The mobile wallet market will grow to $5.3 trillion by the end of 2020. It offers the convenience of making as many transactions as we want by just storing our credit or debit card details just once. Proof of this trend is the fact that the market size of mobile wallets has grown from $1.65 Trillion to $6.3 Trillion between 2013 and 2023.
- The M-Commerce market will see new contenders between 2020 and 2025 – Currently, the payment markets are captured by old players like PayPal, Google, Apple, and SAP. But in the coming years, there will be more opportunities.
- The mobile commerce revenue is expected to hit $5.56 Trillion by 2026 – The revenue generated has been increasing with each passing year. This is proof of the increasing demand for mobile-based shopping.
M-Commerce Key Statistics & Insights
To help you understand the potential of mobile commerce, check these insights and key statistics:
- 96% of Americans own a cell phone.
- 8 out of 10 Americans shop on their Mobile devices.
- Mobile commerce is expected to outgrow non-mobile commerce in 2021.
- Mobile digital advertising spending is double that of desktop advertising spending—$71 billion was spent on mobile advertising in 2018, while only $37 billion was spent on desktop.
- On Black Friday of 2023, 76% of shopping was done on mobile devices.
- In 2021, mobile commerce sales will account for more than half of total e-commerce sales.
- Today, one-third of purchasing decisions are influenced by researching products on mobile devices.
- More than half of retailers already have a mobile app and over 50% of the rest are going to build one soon.
- In mid-2019, mobile e-commerce spending in the United States reached a smashing $41.2 billion.
- The total number of US-based shoppers who make mobile purchases will reach 168.7 million.
Difference between E-commerce and M-commerce
| Features | M-Commerce | E-Commerce |
|---|---|---|
| Mobility | Operates on mobile data, you can trade and transact on the go. | Internet connectivity is restricted with Wi-Fi and broadband. |
| Target audience | Mobile devices are available with the user 24x7. Covers a wider target audience. | Desktops are bulkier and have complex configurations, making them difficult to handle universally. |
| Device pricing | Mobile devices are available at affordable costs. | Desktops and laptops are much costlier and are not economically viable. |
| Security | Mobile devices have stringent authentication procedures that help achieve safe and successful payments. | Although e-commerce payments have precise security features, it results in unsuccessful payments many a time. |
| Platform | Can be accessed via webstore, native, and hybrid apps. | Can be accessed on webstore only. |
| Location tracking | Provision for GPS tracking whereby effective customizations can be done based on customer demographics. | Location tracking is a complicated process and hence only minimal customization is possible. |
| Mobile Internet pricing | Mobile internet package prices increase exponentially with the speed and quality. | Broadband and fiber-net charges come in economical packages and are of superior quality. |
| Screen visibility | Many features could not be made small screen compatible. | Better visibility with more clarity and supports more features. |
In A Nutshell…
Smartphones and the internet have revolutionised how companies do business today. From M-commerce to providing customer support, companies are increasingly using digital tools and platforms to increase customer engagement and drive business growth.
This process will help companies leverage the power of data and digital platforms to improve decision-making, reduce risks and increase ROI.
In this blog, we have stated all-important the points around M-commerce. Let us know your thoughts on the Importance and popularity of e-commerce.
