Mobile Device e-Commerce Strategy

[IT_Architect]

The mobile device e-commerce market is getting very big. An expectation of the mobile market is to buffer their information so they don't need to type so much. I don't intend to process credit card, but I do everything up to that point. While I'm at it, I also plan to allow users to securely connect to get to their e-mail using mobile devices. Some devices will not accept other than secure mobile connection to do so. Buying a mobile-capable cert is the easy part. Before I embark as a "pioneer", I thought I would touch-base here to see if there are any "settlers" that I can learn from so I don't end up with more "arrows in my back" than necessary.

Thanks!

 

[floyd]

Buying a mobile-capable cert is the easy part.

Are you speaking of a cert for a browser or email server?

 

[IT_Architect]

Are you speaking of a cert for a browser or email server?

For the e-mail server.

Thanks!

 

[floyd]

For ecommerce I am not sure what you would do different for a mobile device than a desktop other than site design.

I am not doing ecommerce for mobile devices but I do design sites for mobile devices and I do use a mobile device to access sites.

mobile market is to buffer their information so they don't need to type so much

That is a good rule even for desktops.

What type of information do you want?

 

[IT_Architect]

For ecommerce I am not sure what you would do different for a mobile device than a desktop other than site design.

The "product cart" and its XML feed we had to write because of we have to query the information vendor's API. When it was finished that part worked will on our ipodiTouches and thought we were good to go. When we went for a review, we learned that to get a good review we would need to change a lot because they tested with a lot of popular devices, many of which are pretty wimpy. That's behind us now and they are very happy with the way it works on even wimpy devices. While I was putting a server together I learned that I needed to take care that the cert wasn't the same for mobile devices. We learned that mobile users become endeared to a few sites to purchase from because it's a pain to put in their information over and over so we also need to maintain a lot of their info. Not requiring people to set up an account on our server was a selling point so we didn't do it. However with mobile devices, customer's want to. At that point I decided that truly supporting transacting business with mobile devices is more different than I anticipated and that it would make sense to ask around. What I'm I'm hoping to find by posting here is:
1. A standard piece of software out there that people normally use to collect the necessary information from mobile devices and that can be used to pass off relevant pieces to the gateway.
2. Learn from other people's experiences of what did and didn't work and why.

If nobody here has gotten that deep into mobile devices yet, I can research it. It's just that there is nothing quite like hearing from who has been there and done that.

Thanks!

 

[floyd]

We learned that mobile users become endeared to a few sites to purchase from because it's a pain to put in their information over and over so we also need to maintain a lot of their info.

Would that not be true of desktop users too? I know its true with me. But I look at it from a programmers point of view. I know how easy it is to maintain information from page to page and hate when other programmers don't do it. Usually I will just leave the site at that point. And that is when I am using my desktop with a regular keyboard.

Sorry I cannot help more. I only have experience with Windows Mobile 5 and 6 for PDA and Smartphones. Sounds like you need something that will work with older stuff too.

One thing you can do is encourage them to set up an account from their desktop so that when they login from their mobile device all their information is there. All the while not requiring them to login or open an account from the mobile device.

 

[IT_Architect]

Would that not be true of desktop users too? I know its true with me.

It probably depends. People buy from us only once or twice a year. It takes more time both on the first sale and subsequent sales because they don't keep track of their account information. When they fill it out as a new user, and then submit, it recognizes their e-mail address, and says they can't use it. Then they request their password and login be sent to them or reset and they need to change it. So some of the comments we get have been because it's easy to use, easy to buy, and then don't need to set up an account. (Actually they can't right now.)

One thing you can do is encourage them to set up an account from their desktop so that when they login from their mobile device all their information is there. All the while not requiring them to login or open an account from the mobile device.

That makes a ton of sense. Any time they buy, about the only thing missing between setting up an account and what is required for the sale is a user name and password. We could have a single checkbox that reads:
"Save my information so I don't need to re-enter this next time." That phrase has meaning to a mobile device user. Then request a user name and password. We already have their e-mail address.

Thanks!