mCommerce vs. eCommerce: Understanding the Main Differences

While both eCommerce and mCommerce are effective marketing strategies for your business, there are significant differences between the two methods. Ecommerce is a term that refers to electronic commerce, which essentially boils down to buying and selling products or services using computer networks.

In contrast, mobile commerce is a subsection of eCommerce and constitutes shopping activities via mobile or tablet. Most marketers consider mobile commerce (mCommerce) an entirely different beast than online or web-based shopping (eCommerce).

All forms of mobile commerce constitute eCommerce. As per Statista, mobile commerce includes more than 70% of global eCommerce sales.

Source: Statista — Mobile Retail eCommerce

Mobile commerce has become the preferred mode of shopping worldwide. However, there’s more to analyze in the race of MCommerce vs. eCommerce.

Let’s explore these critical factors.

#1. Devices Involved in MCommerce vs. eCommerce

Both online commerce and mobile commerce focus on electronic devices. The difference is in what device shoppers use to make purchases.

• People who shop online with desktop computers and laptops are engaged in eCommerce.
• On the other hand, those who buy goods and services through smartphones and tablets engage in mCommerce.

#2. Geolocation Tracking

Geolocation tracking features of eCommerce are limited because of the portability issues associated with large screen devices. In contrast, mobile commerce has high precision of geolocation services.

Geolocation data proves helpful in gathering more accurate and precise consumer information. This data can then be used to target consumers in specific locations with customized messaging that appeals to their needs at that time.

Businesses must have a well-defined strategy to compete successfully in mobile commerce. It provides a highly customized experience that suits individual needs.

#3. Payment Options

Source: Statista — Popular Payment Options

The more the number of payment options, the better the chances of selling your products online or through a mobile app. eCommerce payment features without mobile devices are somewhat limited to cards and cash-on-delivery models. It may also include things like PayPal, but these services are usually more expensive than traditional credit card processing.

Mobile commerce, however, can use all of these options and mobile wallets that can hold gift cards or other stored value that you can use to pay for things without needing your physical wallet. It gives you much more flexibility in how you want to accept payments from customers who buy from your business online or through their phones.

Ultimately, mobile commerce wins again in the debate of Mcommerce vs. eCommerce.

#4. Push Notifications

The push notifications services offered by many platforms are an effective strategy for combating the cart abandonment rate. It works by notifying a user when an order has been placed or when new information about an item is being tracked.

eCommerce fails to offer push notifications as a standard feature. Push notifications are available in Mcommerce. If you’re using a platform that offers them, they can be turned on or off at any time.

Mcommerce uses push notification services by default, and users have control over enabling them. So, mobile commerce is effective in both situations. By hiring eCommerce developers, you can set up this feature intuitively for your project.

#5. mCommerce vs. eCommerce: Which is more effective for the B2C model?

Mobile commerce leads significantly more than eCommerce when considering retail trade or B2C business models. The reason why it’s so effective for consumer sales is because of its flexibility & convenience for customers who want to make purchases on the go.

In fact, according to a report by Statista, mobile retail eCommerce sales are to reach $710.42 billion U.S. by 2025.

Source: Statista — Mobile Retail eCommerce Sales

#6. MCommerce vs. eCommerce — Which one is more effective for the B2B model?

Source: Statista — B2B

By definition, business-to-business (B2B) refers to transactions between businesses, as opposed to those between businesses and consumers. It can be a lucrative market if you’re looking to sell your products or services directly to other companies. Unlike B2C business models, dealing in limited funds and B2B involves significantly higher investments, time, and effort.

B2B entrepreneur and businessman goes through hours of dedicated research before investment. With that said, it also presents some unique opportunities and challenges worth exploring further. A typical example would be a company that sells supplies or materials to another company that uses them in its production process.

So, laptops and desktops offer a better UX to such business people. Furthermore, if your target audience is tech-savvy users with high standards in design and ease of use, you might want to go with eCommerce leads significantly over mobile commerce.

#7. mCommerce vs. eCommerce: Which one offers a higher user experience?

Source: Statista — Mobile Internet Traffic

The key to success in online business is providing a great user experience. With mobile devices accounting for more than 50% of global internet traffic, more & more entrepreneurs and business people are optimizing their mobile presence.

It means auto-resizing images, optimizing mobile-friendly design, and more. Undoubtedly, screen-responsive websites and web apps have become the ultimate trend in online business.

To ensure a great user experience for your eCommerce platform, you need to implement the following:

• Intuitive Design: The design of your website should be simple and easy to use so that any user can easily find what they are looking for on your site. You need to remember that most of your users will access your site via mobile devices, so it’s essential to have a responsive design that adjusts to different screen sizes and resolutions.
• Clear CTAs: You need to ensure that your website visitors can easily find what they are looking for on your site, so you need to make sure that you have clear and concise calls-to-action (CTAs) throughout your site. These should be easy to spot and understand and quickly lead users to where they want to go.
• Mobile Optimization: It’s vital to ensure that your website is mobile-optimized so users can easily navigate your site on their mobile devices. You must ensure that your website loads quickly and responsively so that users don’t have difficulty accessing your site on their mobile devices.
• Seamless Checkout: One of the most important things to keep in mind when designing your website is that it needs to be easy and quick to use so that users can efficiently complete their purchases on your site. You must have a seamless checkout process, with no unnecessary steps or information required from users before they can achieve their purchase.
• Optimize Web Development: You must ensure that your website is optimized to load quickly and responsively on all devices. You need to ensure that you are using mobile-friendly web development techniques. eCommerce website development companies in India use CSS3 and HTML5, creating websites that load quickly on all devices and display correctly across different screen sizes and resolutions.

Final Thoughts

How you market your business and deliver your services should be based on detailed market research and analysis. There’s no one right answer regarding the debate of “e-commerce vs. mobile commerce.”

It depends on what type of customer base you have and what kind of services or products you’re offering. But whichever route you choose, keep customers in mind throughout your decision-making process.

An eCommerce development company can help you evaluate your options and choose a model that will suit your needs. Their input can help you avoid common mistakes and produce results that generate long-term growth, both for your business and your bottom line.