Mobile Commerce
Mobile commerce is the use of wireless devices such as smartphones and tablets to conduct commercial transaction online. As mobile commerce transaction continues to grow it involves a lot of buying and selling of wide range of goods and services that we never think possible before: online banking, bill payment and a host of other online transactions.
According to Wikipedia mobile commerce is worth US$230 billion, with Asia representing almost half the market. It has also been forecast that the mobile commerce would reach US$700 billion by 2017. It is no wonder then that retailers are now exploiting the potential mobile commerce market creating apps and designing their website to allow purchase through mobile devices.
The graph below show % of digital buyers world wides
As seen in the graph mobile commerce is booming and phone companies are making sure people experience this trend. New mobile devices are introduce everyday: smartphones and tablets are typical examples. These devices now have features that enable browsing the internet and doing all the things a desktop or laptop could do.
According to Irish Digital Consumer Report from Shane O’Leary, Mobile phone penetration in Ireland currently stands at 122.2%. 28% of online shoppers have used their smartphone to shop online and 80% of 18-34s have used a tablet or phone to purchase online. It has also been shown that companies who have online sale platform make more sale than their counterpart with only brick and mortal shop.
All these point to the fact that retailers have to grow with the trends in mobile commerce in order to survive. The advantages of mobile commerce include customers’ satisfaction, cost saving, increase sales through increase in new customers. It also gives customers access to all the products and services a company has to offer.
Companies should therefore create mobile friendly website not only to allows more customers’ visit and better user’s experience but to generate brand awareness and increase sales
Why the Global Community is Truly a Community
Why the Global community is truly a community
Global community is defined as the people of the world considered as being closely connected by modern communication and as being economically, socially and politically interdependent.
The second half of the twentieth century witnessed swift economic, political, social and ecological changes that were determined intensely by advanced transportation and communication technologies. Because of these changes, time and space have been compressed as people, information and capital move faster than before.
The role of Transport and communication
Communication
The global community is truly a community now because with the invention of radio, television and recently the internet it is now possible that without leaving our house, we can get access to news and current affair of other country of the world. Space and distance have become nonexistence. The internet as also help in the globalisation of the world, it has brought new trends in communication and human relation.
With Skpe people from different continent can chat together by seen one another through video. This has made and the distance between continents insignificant. It has also make it easy for people to search for online communities and connect which others who share similar interest.This week Microsoft Skpe software will start translating voice calls between people of different languages. It makes it possible for English and Spanish speakers to communicate in their native language, without having to learn a new one.
Transportation
The advance in transportation technology enhances global economy and promote international trade. This also enable people to travel the continent in record time. The travel distances between places become shorter and easily accessible, for example around 2.1 million people perform the hajji in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. In early 20th century people who perform the hajji were way lesser than this, they had to walk several years across Africa to Mecca to perform the hajji. Air transport has made the hajji more easily available.
‘’world- wide communication and transportation are diminishing
ancient barriers of distance language and race’’ His holiness Dalai Lama of Tibet.
Increased speed of communication and transportation and the ability of people to read, spread and react to global news quickly has made us to become involved with one another irrespective of where we are in the world.The world exhibit the same trait as a small community in term of connectivity.
WIRELESS REVOLUTION
In networking terminology, wireless is a term used to describe telecommunications in which electromagnetic waves (rather than some form of wire) carry the signal over part or all of the communication path. This simply means that if you get a Wi-FI it allows you to connect several devices at once: computers, tablets, Xboxes, Printers, Smart T.Vs and recently Sky box without the need to install extra phones or cables.
Few years ago, when I got to Ireland from African, I was amazed at the level of wireless gadgets in existence. Compare to other third world countries, Europe is really ahead on wireless revolution.
At present, the world had seen all that is to be seen about this phase of wireless revolution, people and industries are impatient for the next phase to start. The first wave of wireless entails getting people to talk to each other on mobile phones and getting devices to be connect wirelessly. The next phase opens a new world of possibility beyond our understanding. Gadget or devices talking to devices or things talking to things.
IT companies are now working tirelessly to connect Machine to Machine, or M2M as they called it. This means ‘’Internet of Things’’, a global network that not only connect devices but links everything from fridges to heaters to bike.
Vodafone has given an instance of how this might work. In one of Netherlands city, sensors were put in the refuse bins that were used in houses, these sensors alert the refuse companies in charge of the containers when they need to be emptied. This invariably saved the refuse companies needless trips and reducing fuel use by 18%.
If successful, M2M could reduce cost, time, increase output and generate profit for companies. On the other hand, this could trigger massive job losses, health risks due to laziness because we have machines talking and doing things among themselves.
I wonder why each one of us would want M2M to be successful, as for me I would not mind been able to connect my mobile phone and car an hour before finishing a 12hours shift on a frosty morning passing instructions to the car to warm itself up.
The world are waiting for the next wireless revolution to begin
Blogging as a Communication Tool
In recent time the internet is playing an important role in the way people communicate with each other around the world. Blogging as one of social media platform help companies to spread news and messages quickly and inexpensively when compare to the traditional media.
People around the continent are daily searching for new ideas, information, facts and articles on numerous topics ranging from Education, Arts, Fashion to History and Medicine. The first place they looked to get these information is on the internet, where there are millions of blogs available in an easy format for their uses.
The importance of blogging as a strategic communication tool can never be over- emphasized. At present there are approximately more than 152 million blogs on internet and more blogs are added to the blogoshere on daily basis, According to Ignitespot statistic 6.7 million people blog on blogging sites and 12 million people blog via social network in US. In Ireland there are 1 million tweets a day and 600,000 daily users and there are now over 1 billion google+ users all over the world.
What is Blogging?
According to wordpress.”Blog” is an abbreviated version of “weblog,” which is a term used to describe websites that maintain an ongoing chronicle of information. A blog features diary-type commentary and links to articles on other websites, usually presented as a list of entries in reverse chronological order. Blogs range from the personal to the political, and can focus on one narrow subject or a whole range of subjects.
Bloggers blog for various reasons but the inherent reason for all blogs is to communicate. Bloggers either blog for personal reasons or for business reasons.
Personal blog
As the name implies personal blog is the personal account of individual experiences, ideas, daily activities, problems and solutions as it happens in person life. Basically this a blog about any subject that takes the writer’s fancies or interests.
Business blog
This is the type of blog used internally to enhance communication and culture in a corporation or externally for marketing, branding or public relations purpose. This type of blogs are also called corporate blogs.
Reasons why blogging is important communication tool
- Blogging build communities interaction
- Blogging is an easy way to express oneself, since the blogger set the tone and language of the blog
- Blogging is a powerful marketing tool in business
- Blogging is used by companies as a CRM strategies to engage and communicate with consumers
- Blogging enable the bloggers to easily establish themselves as an expert in their field of interest
- Blogging expand blogger’s network of friends, business associates and clients.
The amazing thing about blogging is that anyone, from a Janitor to Chief Executive of a renowned company can do it to make a difference in the society. If you have not start a blog yet, it is not too late go online and find your niche, either you want to be a Vblogger, micro blogger or normal blogger there are lot of people out there waiting to hear from you.
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