Portaltech and PayPal have partnered to help retailers offer their customers a fast and secure checkout experience on mobile devices. The move comes shortly after PayPal released its Mobile Express Checkout – a mobile optimised version of its Express Checkout service.

Mark Adams, Sales Director at Portaltech explains: “As Smartphone adoption increases and mCommerce becomes more important to Portaltech and our retail clients, we recognised the need to expand the payment options on our QuickLive mCommerce solution and to find a quick and easy payment solution for end customers that would make payment via mobile, convenient, seamless and secure.”

Portaltech’s partnership with PayPal was driven by recent research conducted by the company and eDigital Research; in this study, the companies sought to understand the influencing factors and features of mobile apps, from a consumer’s perspective.  Of those people polled, ‘Convenience’ was one of the top 3 most mentioned benefits of shopping via a mobile phone. 86% revealed that they already have a PayPal account and a further 8% said they ‘Wanted one’. The study also found that 20% of those with a smartphones had made a purchase via their mobile phones, with an incredible 93% rating this as a ‘positive experience’.  A further 20% said they “Expected to spend more via their mobiles in the next 12 months.“

Rachel Wilkinson, Head of Brand & Retail at Portaltech says: ‘Our QuickLive mCommerce app for the iPhone provides a mobile platform for retailers to showcase their range to consumers who want to browse and buy quickly and easily via their mobiles. Key to the success of any app is the convenience and usability factor and we wanted to ensure that we got the checkout functionality right” she continued: “Our research showed that the majority of customers polled already had a PayPal account and that PayPal was the preferred payment method via mobile. In addition there are 26 million PayPal accounts held in the UK. We couldn’t ignore this feedback and PayPal became a  ‘must have’ feature for our QuickLive mCommerce checkout.

Cameron McLean, General Manager, Merchant Services, PayPal UK, commented: “PayPal sees mobile as the next wave of growth for retailers. We have opened our secure payment platform to third parties like Portaltech to enable them to develop innovative mobile solutions for their clients. Shoppers can use their PayPal account to pay on their mobile phones, with the same security and convenience they enjoy on their PC.”

Portaltech’s first retailer iPhone App using PayPal’s Mobile Express Checkout will be released for L.K. Bennett in September.

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Over the last year, Portaltech recognised a fundamental shift in the way consumers were interacting with their mobile phones during the course of the day and with the way consumers use their phones to interact with retailers and brands whilst browsing or shopping cross channel.

The whitepaper ‘The Role of Mobile within the Multi Channel Mix’, was commissioned with eDigital Research in order to gain a greater understanding of consumer shopping behaviour and the role of mobile within this mix, to enable us to establish the future role and applications of mobile as a commerce, marketing and communication tool for retailers and brands.

And the whitepaper threw up some interesting stats:

- 25% of consumers have browsed via their mobiles within the last week

- 93% of those who have made a purchase via a mobile app said they had a positive experience

- 38% of app users named shopping apps in their top 3 favourites

- 59% of those who used their smartphones did so whilst shopping

To read more and to download this paper for free, click here

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mCommerce should be implemented by companies once they have a clear idea of who their mobile customer is, one industry commentator has suggested.

In an article for Internet Retailer, Bill Siwicki noted with the holiday season just around the corner, firms are now having to increasingly develop marketing and selling strategies and decide where mobile fits in with their plans.

According to the writer, Forrester Research analyst Patti Freeman Evans explained at a panel discussion at the Mobile Marketing Summit in New York those making use of the technology need to keep it simple during the early stages.

She stated: "This year you have to learn who your mobile customer is, what devices they are using and how they are behaving," before adding this will help people learn how to both set and execute a mobile strategy.

The Mobile Marketing Summit took place on September 2nd at the National Museum of the American Indian.
 

Multi-channel integration is to remain a popular facility for those involved in eCommerce, one expert has predicted.

Writing for InternetRetailing, vice-president and head of retail consulting and technology at Capgemini Chris Webster explained the process offers firms the chance to provide a customer experience that is "seamless and consistent".

In addition, he stated certain retailers rely on such technology as it supplies them with an opportunity to share product, order and customer data.

The specialist noted: "This technology will also be essential for creating knowledge management systems for customer queries, as well as for enabling shared applications across the retail business to improve agility."

Mr Webster went on to observe how important a number of others aspects of eCommerce will become essential to retailers over the next couple of years, including mobile opportunities, social networking and cross-border trading.

His remarks follow predictions from Chinese vice-minister of commerce Jiang Yaoping, who told China Daily he expects to see a significant eCommerce boost in the country in the near future.
 

Portaltech are thrilled to be shortlisted for multiple BCS & Computing UK IT Industry Awards:

- Research & Development Achievement of the Year
- Developer of the Year
- Small IT Supplier Of The Year

To review the finalists click here.

Wish us luck!

One industry specialist believes platform integration is to become even more crucial in the near future, as mobile content continues to grow.

According to eMarketer – a digital marketing and media research and analysis company – mobile is now a ubiquitous platform that cannot be ignored by either content publishers or marketers.

Forecasts from the firm show mobile content revenues in the US are expected to rise from less than $1.15 billion (£747 million) last year to over $3.53 billion in 2014.

Noah Elkin, senior analyst at the enterprise and author of new report Mobile Content: Games, Music and Video Take to the Cloud, said the rising appeal of mobile is facilitated by advancing smart devices and mobile broadband networks.

He went on to explain platform integration is key to the growth of mobile content.

"Consumers will expect games, music and video to be available on demand or via subscription on TVs, mobile and PC," Mr Elkin explained, before adding those who will thrive will be the content owners who "understand the need to deliver seamlessly across every possible platform".
 

Portaltech and PayPal have partnered to help retailers offer their customers a fast and secure checkout experience on mobile devices. The move comes shortly after PayPal released its Mobile Express Checkout – a mobile optimised version of its Express Checkout service.

Mark Adams, Sales Director at Portaltech explains: “As Smartphone adoption increases and mCommerce becomes more important to Portaltech and our retail clients, we recognised the need to expand the payment options on our QuickLive mCommerce solution and to find a quick and easy payment solution for end customers that would make payment via mobile, convenient, seamless and secure.”

Portaltech’s partnership with PayPal was driven by recent research conducted by the company and eDigital Research; in this study, the companies sought to understand the influencing factors and features of mobile apps, from a consumer’s perspective. Of those people polled, ‘Convenience’ was one of the top 3 most mentioned benefits of shopping via a mobile phone. 86% revealed that they already have a PayPal account and a further 8% said they ‘Wanted one’. The study also found that 20% of those with a smartphones had made a purchase via their mobile phones, with an incredible 93% rating this as a ‘positive experience’. A further 20% said they “Expected to spend more via their mobiles in the next 12 months.“

Rachel Wilkinson, Head of Brand & Retail at Portaltech says: ‘Our QuickLive mCommerce app for the iPhone provides a mobile platform for retailers to showcase their range to consumers who want to browse and buy quickly and easily via their mobiles. Key to the success of any app is the convenience and usability factor and we wanted to ensure that we got the checkout functionality right” she continued: “Our research showed that the majority of customers polled already had a PayPal account and that PayPal was the preferred payment method via mobile. In addition there are 26 million PayPal accounts held in the UK. We couldn’t ignore this feedback and PayPal became a ‘must have’ feature for our QuickLive mCommerce checkout.

Cameron McLean, General Manager, Merchant Services, PayPal UK, commented: “PayPal sees mobile as the next wave of growth for retailers. We have opened our secure payment platform to third parties like Portaltech to enable them to develop innovative mobile solutions for their clients. Shoppers can use their PayPal account to pay on their mobile phones, with the same security and convenience they enjoy on their PC.”

Portaltech’s first retailer iPhone App using PayPal’s Mobile Express Checkout will be released for L.K. Bennett in September.

eCommerce could benefit British firms who want to take advantage of the fact the internet is now an important part of everyday life for increasing numbers of people.

It was recently revealed by the Office for National Statistics that some 9.2 million people in the UK have never been online.

However, the data also showed 19.2 million households now have a web connection – a rise of five million since 2006.

Commenting on the figures, Abi Stevens from UK online centres, said: "Both government and commercial services are increasingly moving online – and that provides both cost efficiencies and improves service quality."

She went on to explain the internet has now become something of a "lifeline" that helps people continue living independently and keep in touch with friends, follow pastimes and manage household finances.

Ms Stevens added those without access to the net may be missing out on numerous benefits, conveniences and opportunities.

And her remarks might inspire enterprises in Britain to take advantage of the surging popularity of the internet and invest in eCommerce technology.
 

eCommerce is expected to play a big part in the Chinese economy in coming years, one politician has indicated.

According to China Daily, the country's vice-minister of commerce Jiang Yaoping predicted the sector will grow at a great rate in the near future, highlighting his belief China will replace Japan as the third-largest nation when it comes to value of eCommerce transactions.

He went on to explain electronic trade has numerous benefits.

"Besides helping enterprises tap new markets, reduce costs and cope with the financial crisis, eCommerce also plays a bigger role in assisting China to stabilise exports and stimulate domestic demand," Mr Yaoping stated.

The politician added growing numbers of people in rural areas are beginning to shop online, which should help the industry grow further.

It follows news that eBay's president and chief executive officer John Donahoe said in an interview with CNBC-TV18's president and editorial director of TV18 Business Media Senthil Chengalvarayan he predicts eCommerce in India could be worth $1 billion (£650 million) within three years.

The conversation was reported by Forbes India.
 

Business that want to move into mCommerce could find they benefit from carrying out rigorous tests on across a number of different platforms.

According to Internet Retailer, Barneys New York – a high-end fashion firm store that sells clothes for women, men and children – launched a new mobile commerce site in October 2009.

Speaking to the news source, Jordan Holberg, eCommerce manager at the company, explained when developing the portal it was important for those involved to be aware that not all customers would be accessing it with brand new, top-of-the-range smartphones.

He stated it was therefore essential Barneys compromise and find out which resolutions and images would work best on a range of different mobile devices, including BlackBerrys, iPhones, Motorola Razrs and Google Android phones.

Mr Holberg added: “My advice is to test over and over on the phones themselves. It’s very repetitive and boring, but that’s the only way you are really going to understand the user experience.”