Dreaming of an m-Christmas

Posted by Gail Purvis PM | on Fri, 26/11/2010 - 15:20 2865 1 comment

Last year, AccountingWEB’s guide to top technology trends noted how the smartphone explosion would offer a new platform through which to sell goods and services.

Smartphones now account for 64% of all UK phones sales, according to Gartner, and IDC Retail Insights estimates that US consumers will purchase $127bn (£79bn) worth of Christmas gifts via mobile and social-media commerce – more than a quarter of the total estimated seasonal consumer spend of $447bn.

According to a Consumer M-Commerce Study released by the Mobile Commerce Joint Industry Committee, 43% of consumers have purchased goods and services on mobiles, and 42% claim it is the easiest way to research and buy products.

Browser or App?
Mobile phone network operator Orange estimates that 70% of UK mobile shoppers will use browsers rather than shops’ own smartphone apps.

Internet retailers that have moved into m-commerce with mobile-specific browser sites include eBay, with 10m downloads for its iPhone app, Amazon, GameSpot and Netflix with specific mobile browser sites. Among “bricks and mortar” retailers, Debenhams developed an iPhone app in response to customer interest. When it goes live in 2011, it will let customers scan barcodes into their wishlists, and help them locate the nearest store using global satellite positioning.

Earlier this month Tesco launched its transactional mobile site which will be compatible with all the main smartphone makes.

“Recent m-commerce developments are very, very interesting,” says Ed Molyneux of FreeAgent Central. In his view, web browsing and smartphone apps will be complimentary and help accelerate progress towards FreeAgent’s goal of “democratising accounting”.

“From our viewpoint it’s a first step to where our users can charge for two hours of work, with the VAT invoice generated online, and be paid on the spot via the web/mobile,” said Molyneux.

“The accounting engine is the hub for a multitude of data sources: it can and should pull in the data from banks, payment platforms and paper receipts - mobile camera resolutions are now high enough to capture these - and reconcile these into accounts and tax returns for HMRC or Companies House nearly automatically.”

Continued...

Wouldn't it be loverly...

PeterRouse | Thu, 02/12/2010 - 15:13 | Permalink

The idea that professional fees can be paid on the spot by mobile seems at odds with the long established tradition of paying one's advisers some months after their invoices are delivered. Perhaps if the adviser is standing over the client at the time...or barring the door until they have been paid...no that might be false imprisonment...we shall see!

Peter Rouse

Case Record Limited - www.gotocaserecord.com