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E-Commerce vs. M-Commerce: What’s the Difference?
12.07.2021
4 min
Business goes digital more actively these days. Its two main pillars are electronic and mobile trade transactions. Let us tell you more about them.
MCommerce: What Is It?
Mobile commerce is a lazy shopper’s dream. Whenever you use trade services and make payments from your phone, tablet or any other mobile devices that can be placed in the palm of your hand — this is mCommerce.
It is estimated that in 2019 mCommerce generated more than 67% of all electronic sales. In 2021 these sales are expected to generate $3.56 trillion worldwide.
The reason why this type of commerce is evolving so fast is prosaic: it’s super convenient. Mobile gadgets turned into a magic key that grants access to:
- Payments: it takes a few taps to make transactions.
- Virtual window-shop: catalogs, product lists, photo galleries, etc.
- Social media: Form Instagram to Snapchat — every popular channel of communication is at the user’s fingertips.
So, these days shopping is pretty much limited to having credit cards and making a few taps - the product will be delivered to your house porch in no time.
The convenience of payments and instant accessibility attract people who are your potential customers. Therefore, mCommerce is the future’s dominating business model. Especially with the mobile phones turning into smart pocket wallets and oftentimes replacing cash and physical payment cards.
ECommerce: What Is It?
Electronic commerce is also about selling and buying stuff via the web using a desktop computer or a laptop.
Be it a sale of goods on a flea market like Bonanza or Letgo, a wholesale purchase of light bulbs and audiobooks from Amazon or selling charcoal face scraps with the help of Instagram — these are all faces of eCommerce.
In 2021, eCommerce is expected to reach the $4.89 trillion threshold. Compare it with the forecast for the brick-and-mortar retail in 2021 with its $5.630 capitalization. They can duel on par.
So, What’s the Difference?
As you can see, both the MCommerce and ECommerce models offer various advantages for businesses. Let’s sum up the key differences between these “twin” sectors:
| M-Commerce | E-Commerce |
|---|---|
| Requires a mobile gadget | Requires a computer/laptop |
| High mobility: electronic payments, push notifications, native apps released by the retailers | Limited mobility, online stores instead of mobile applications. |
| Boosted security with authorization tools: digital signatures, fingerprinting etc. | Excludes mobile fraud |
| Simplicity: just a few taps | Not very convenient in terms of user-interface navigation |
| Mobile banking adds up to convenience — your fingerprint or SMS verification basically play a role of electronic signature when you authorize a payment | No mobile banking |
| Mobile operators may fail to provide stable connection | More or less stable connection |
Thus, each business segment features both pros and cons: mobile payments are notably quicker and easier while the transactions conducted from a computer can be more reliable and safe.
Portfolios
Basically, people can buy any products or services from businesses with the use of digital commerce: from a deck playing cards to a house somewhere in Sarasota. So, naturally these two segments intermingle.
If we talk about mobile, then we can say that people who use credit cards and various digital payment methods want to access more and more services while being on the go. Services like booking or travelling, for example. Plus, it's easier to buy a new favorite mobile game or a cool app that makes your pics look like vintage Kodak photos using a credit card and a smartphone.
At the same time, eCommerce isn’t as easy in terms of mobility or making payments. But it allows to browse the photos of the goods a business offers on a bigger screen. And visual component is always crucial. Especially when you want to purchase a sizable item: sofa, carpet, flamingo statuette for your garden, etc.
But while a person may check what a business offers via a desktop version of the website, mobile transfers can be their payment method of choice. And vice versa. So, these two services are just twin sides of one big market. And both are worth an investment.
What We Offer
Payneteasy is dedicated to assisting businesses in optimizing the way they process payments. So whether you need a solution to start accepting credit cards through your website and app or require help with any other feature to ensure a smooth shopping experience for your clients, don’t hesitate to reach out!
Our company will help your business to:
- Integrate online acquiring.
- Execute commercial transactions.
- Protect your company and clients from online fraud.
- Put your company in compliance with the AML regulation and much more.
Contact us now and take your business to the next level!
Commentaries 2
Michael L
In terms of security measures, which is better: e-commerce or m-commerce?
To win customers’ trust and gain an edge over rivals, an online merchant needs to implement such protection measures that will ensure the privacy and security of all the transactions occurring on their website. Security features that are generally adopted by e-commerce businesses include the SSL Certificate, HTTPS, and anti-malware software.
Mobile devices are becoming the more preferred mode for shopping, so many businesses go online to keep pace with the demands of tech-savvy consumers. To secure their clients’ valuable data, m-commerce brands often use biometrics (such as fingerprints, face/retina detection), which is not possible to use with e-commerce.
More than that, to execute a transaction, a consumer needs to make an online payment using a personal wallet or mobile banking, which also can be accessed only through some authorization like an SMS code or biometrics verification of the device’s owner.
It may be surprising to know, but m-commerce implements stronger security features than e-commerce. While e-commerce ensures their clients with general security precautions such as 2FA and one-time passwords, m-commerce websites offer the same practices, plus an advanced security feature – biometric checks. The additional security practice tips the scale: m-commerce is a bit more secure.