Rakuten acquisition may point to a future in mobile commerce

Mobile commerce Trends

Acquisition highlights Rakuten’s growing interest in the mobile space and mobile platforms

Viber Media, makers of messaging applications based in Israel, has been acquired by Rakuten, a prominent e-commerce organization in Japan, for $900 million. The acquisition provides some insight as to what Rakuten may be planning for its future involvement in the mobile space. The Viber messaging application is used by some 300 million people, all of whom will soon be able to make use of the services that Rakuten will offer, thereby transforming the application into a mobile commerce platform.

Messaging apps may be very powerful mobile commerce tools because of their popularity and accessibility

Messaging applications are becoming quite popular among consumers. These applications have managed to establish a strong following throughout Asia and many of these apps are beginning to resemble full-fledged mobile commerce platforms. This is what is becoming of the popular WeChat application, which is used by many people throughout China. By embracing mobile commerce, these applications are becoming monetized.

Mobile commerce market continues to see strong growth throughout Asia, partly thanks to messaging apps

Mobile commerce TrendsMobile commerce has been growing aggressively in Asia for some time. Consumers are beginning to make use of the mobile devices more regularly, using these devices for communication, entertainment, and shopping purposes. As consumers become more mobile, businesses are working to find ways to engage with these consumers more dynamically. Messaging applications may be an adequate way to accomplish this goal because of their popularity and their ability to make mobile commerce more social within a populace.

Data collected from app use could be used to create more engaging experiences for mobile consumers

Beyond the mobile commerce potential of messaging applications, these apps are also able to generate consumer data. This data can be used by a company, like Rakuten, to improve business impact. Using consumer data can help companies develop more engaging marketing strategies and services that better accommodate the needs of consumers. Many people are concerned about how their personal information is used, however, which can create serious issues for organizations that abuse their access to this information through mobile applications.

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