Remember the Black Friday of old? Crazed consumers getting up at the crack of dawn, thrifty techies braving the cold to get the best deals, responsible adults coming to blows over the latest clothes or gadgets or kids’ toys. Those were the days.

Welcome to the age of Cyber Monday. Where once upon a time consumers’ two choices were shopping in stores or conducting e-commerce from their home computers, today mobile commerce is remaking holiday shopping. Instead of rushing across town—or even walking to the computer room—today consumers can shop on their phones while still in bed. Instead of scrambling to open up shop and praying to not get trampled by a crowd of unruly shoppers, businesses can simply set up their apps to accept mobile payments. And while the holiday shopping season may be the most wonderful time of the year for e-commerce, a strong m-commerce plan can bring in some serious cash year-round.

That’s why Swiftic has begun introducing powerful, new m-commerce tools to help small businesses boost their sales. Our latest innovation—the brand-new Store feature—makes it easier than ever before to offer your products for sale directly through your app. Your customers can then buy whichever of your products they want, whenever and wherever they want, using PayPal’s secure online payment system.

WHAT CAN M-COMMERCE DO FOR YOUR BUSINESS?

The numbers tell the story here. A study published early this year found that nearly 90% of U.S. mobile consumers say they use their tablets and/or smartphones to shop. And with consumer culture focused more than ever on mobile apps, today m-commerce is a potential goldmine for small businesses. Not surprisingly, businesses are increasingly tapping that mine: M-commerce accounted for nearly $60 billion in sales last year.

It’s easy to see why m-commerce appeals to both businesses and consumers. If e-commerce first rose to popularity because it allowed consumers to shop from the comfort of their homes, m-commerce lets those same consumers make purchases from the convenience of wherever they want. Just as importantly, m-commerce offers businesses a way to increase sales dramatically without suffering the costs of hiring additional personnel. With an effective m-commerce strategy, your app could become your top salesperson—working 24/7 and for far less than minimum wage.

And that’s where our new Store feature comes in.

HOW TO DRIVE SALES WITH SWIFTIC’S STORE FEATURE

With the Store feature, you can easily turn your Swiftic app into a fully functioning mobile store, complete with an automatic and secure checkout system that lets you receive payments through PayPal. You can then create a listing of items you want to sell, providing enticing photos of each. If you need any help creating and setting up your Store feature, Swiftic has a dedicated page to guide you through the process.

Once your store is stocked with products and your checkout is set up, your customers are free to browse and make purchases. To make the most of your Store feature, you can use Swiftic’s other tools to encourage your customers (and prospective customers) to browse and make purchases. For instance:

• Let your app users know your store is open for business and advertise special offers by sending photo-enhanced push notifications.
• Tell your users they can now shop directly through your app by updating your About Us page.
• Use the Marketing Genie to run targeted Facebook ad campaigns urging potential customers to download your app and shop in your mobile store.
• Add your social media pages (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, etc.) to your app, and post on them to promote your products and mobile store.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR MOBILE COMMERCE?

The Store feature makes it easy for Swiftic-powered apps to tap into the growing world of m-commerce, and we have some more exciting commerce tools on the way. I don’t want to ruin the surprise, but let’s just say our upcoming additions will offer app owners even more opportunities to drive in-app sales. Plus, an innovative feature that’ll help nonprofit organizations harness the power and convenience of m-commerce is due to go live in the near future.

And on that note, we at Swiftic wish you a happy and successful holiday season!