Social Commerce in Mobile Apps is the Next Big Thing

For startups and mobile app developers, Christmas represents more than just a break to spend time with family; it represents big opportunities for business growth, with consumers buying more goods and services than any other time of year. Recent years have seen steady growth in e-commerce in general, but this season London mobile app developers are particularly excited about the latest e-commerce trend poised to revolutionize the industry: mobile commerce.

Mobile commerce in the US is set to rise by around 30 percent this season over past years, which is about double overall e-commerce growth. What’s different this year, however, isn’t just mobile websites and branded native apps. A new trend of “contextual commerce” has been blending the line between social media and sales media, leveraging data to tailor commerce offerings to consumers in the places they spend the most time. Namely, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and other feed-driven social networks, all of which use tracked data about their users to deliver tailored content from paying businesses.

App development experts predict that 2016 will see iPhone app developers continuing to blend the line between marketing and service, with in-app one-click purchasing capability launching in major social networks. Before long, Bluetooth app developers could even leverage real-world location tracking to deliver shopping suggestions based on a user’s location, browsing data, and purchase history.

We’re already seeing these predictions come true on a lower level through the growth of third-party social sales and marketing apps. Startups like Sello empower social media users to sell items through their existing social media accounts, allowing the entire process from uploading item pictures to confirming shipping information to take place on an iPhone. No desktop computer required.

Naturally, it isn’t just scrappy small businesses who’ll be leveraging tools like these as mobile commerce continues to grow throughout 2016. Mobile app developers, startup founders and major corporations will all be scrambling to stake a claim in the unmarked territory of in-app mobile commerce.

Where will your company stand, in the next mobile commerce landscape?