New UK M-commerce initiative launched to grow sector 

Friday, November 19 2010 by Andy Carter

A group of marketing and retail sector organisations have joined forces to develop and grow the UK's mobile commerce sector.

The Mobile Commerce Joint Industry Committee (MCJIC) will consist of the Association of Interactive Media and Entertainment (AIME), the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) and Interactive Media in Retail Group (IMRG), with the intention of driving growth through research and the development of best practice.

Goals are to make sure that retailers are taking advantage of the website promotion and marketing opportunities presented by mobile devices, whether through emerging online opportunities or through other channels.

The initiative has also made developing best practice in line with regulation one of its priorities and follows research carried out by all three organisations, which gave some insight into consumer expectations for mobile website promotion by brands.

More than half of UK retail brands expect their mobile revenues to increase over the next 12 months, while nearly all of those surveyed indicated that mobile commerce presents a major opportunity for their business.

However, the study also revealed that retailers need to be doing more to keep pace with consumer demand. Four in ten consumers surveyed have carried out a transaction on their phone, with 42 per cent claiming that using their mobile is the easiest way to research and buy products.

IMRG director of operations Andrew McClelland explained that the increase in the number of retailers launching apps or transactional promotional websites for mobile underlines the importance of this "rapidly growing sales channel".

He added: "Many retailers aren't confident they have enough knowledge in this area.

“We've set up the MCJIC initiative specifically to address this issue, and to give retailers guidance to find the right m-commerce strategy for them and grow the market in general. The team, made up of retailers, mobile specialists and industry bodies, will draw on their expertise from their place within the m-commerce value chain."

Living Streams "Improving clients' profitability through better use of the internet".