Mobile commerce, high growth potential.

46% of Mexican consumers made a purchase from their Smartphone.

Mobile commerce is an area of opportunity for Mexican companies. In the last 12 months alone, 46% of Mexican consumers made at least one purchase from their smartphone and 30% from tablets, according to data from an analysis by Paypal and Ipsos.

Gabriela Ugarte, senior manager of Products and Solutions of PayPal Latin America, indicated that worldwide, mobile commerce is growing three times faster than e-commerce, which is driven by Millennials, people between 18 and 34 years old who have behaviors different from the traditional buyer. They want to compare prices, have different options, as well as faster delivery times.

This trend has reached our country, where one out of every two mobile phones is a smartphone. “In Mexico, as it is a growing country, the figures are higher, especially because other countries started their e-commerce culture much earlier. In the US they are used to buying through online catalogs for several years. In Mexico, this is a trend that is still innovative and growth is exponential, just like in other emerging countries.”

However, one of the biggest challenges for mobile commerce is related to the size of the screens. "What we have seen is that the user uses (the smartphone) to compare and search for options, but when it comes to clothing or footwear, they prefer to use a large screen like their computer, to see the products much better," he says.

According to data from the Mexican Internet Association (AMIPCI), among the goods that Mexicans consume the most on their mobile devices are digital downloads (mainly music, video and books); travel services and event tickets; clothing and accessories, furniture, appliances and electronic equipment.

This 'boom' is also reflected in Paypal's numbers, since in 2014, the platform processed payments for 228,000 million dollars worldwide, which meant a growth of 27% compared to 2013. In terms of mobile payments, “we had 68% more than in 2013, with which, the theme of mobile commerce represents for Paypal, 20% of our total income”, he indicated.

Currently, Paypal has 1.1 million users in Mexico and 165 million in 203 nations. It has been present in our country since 2010. “The growth is interesting, it is consolidating itself as a secure and reliable payment platform; we have achieved it in less than five years”.

Source: http://www.manufactura.mx/industria/2015/05/18/comercio-movil-con-alto-potencial-de-crecimiento