With the seemingly endless choice available to shoppers online, the poor old physical store can sometimes pale in comparison.
Why go to a shop where you can flick through a rail of clothes, when online you can just keep going until you find the item that is right for you?
People have been talking about social commerce for some time now. The idea that shopping behaviour can be directed and informed by social networks is intriguing to retailers, but its application has been clunky.
However developments by South Korean instant messenger app KakaoTalk point towards social becoming much more ‘shoppable’.
KakaoTalk is the dominant messaging app in Korea, used by more than 90% of smartphone owners. It is a near ubiquitous part of daily life for people who use it to make free calls and texts, share content and take part in group chats.
When it comes to looking for hints on where mobile commerce is heading, marketers should look towards South Korea.
Not only is the country home to Samsung, the world’s largest supplier of smartphones, but Koreans have shown themselves to be rapid adopters of mobile technology.
Seoul is the eleventh biggest city on the planet with more than 25m people in the greater metropolitan area, most of whom have a smart device. Increasingly they look to use those devices to shop.
In 2013 62.6% of Koreans used their smartphone to shop, up from just 11.9% two years previously.
Fast adoption of 4G and in-store WiFi opportunities are driving this new approach to retail and offer businesses the chance to engage with shoppers in different and really exciting ways.