Chinese consumers are increasingly dependent on online shopping, and they shop online in their spare time, during working hours, on public transportation and in the office, according to a latest report released on Tuesday by Nielsen, a global information and measurement company. All latest trends indicate a bright future for China's e-commerce market, particularly mobile commerce, thanks to the high penetration of smartphones among Chinese consumers today, Tao Libao, vice president of E-commerce Solution at Nielsen China, said in a press release. The number of online shoppers reached 302 million in China in 2013, and the total online sales of …

Bendigo Bank, in partnership with Samsung Electronics Australia and Community Telco Australia, an Adelaide Bank telecommunication subsidiary, has released a retail point of sale (POS) mobile payment solution called "redy", which gives consumers the capability of making a payment and even donating to a local charity by scanning unique QR codes. To make a payment, consumers must first download the redy app, which is required in order to be able to scan the quick response code that is displayed on the Samsung redy tablet located at the POS. Bendigo Bank patrons can connect the redy app directly to their savings …

Banks may soon lose their monopoly in the payments market due to technology and social networking companies entering into the mobile commerce space. Google and Facebook are just two of the myriad companies that are beginning to offer financial services to consumers, utilizing innovative digital solutions to do so. Similar companies are doing so as well, hoping to take advantage of a market that is growing at a rapid pace. By 2017, it is expected that some $60 billion in mobile transactions will be processed, and many of these transactions may not be processed directly through banks. Companies like Facebook …

Google Wallet's streamlined mobile checkout solution Instant Buy is now available on iOS applications for the first time, a development early adopters such as Eat24 say could finally make Google Wallet a bigger focus for consumers. Despite the fact that Google's digital wallet has so far struggled to catch on with consumers and merchants, the technology company continues to bring out new features and functionality with the hope that something will catch on with mobile users. Instant Buy, which was introduced earlier this year for Android apps and the mobile Web, makes checking out from a mobile device easier, with …

A computer-generated voice named "Dom," similar to Apple's Siri, will start taking your mobile device order on the Domino's app Monday, according to the pizza delivery chain, the AP reports. Customers can place orders by speaking with Dom using their iPhone or Android device and have a "human-like, conversational" experience while ordering, says Domino's. At the same time, Domino's is still working out some technical issues with the mobile app. "It is not perfect. This is the sort of thing, like any other really new technology launch, you're going to learn, you're going to get better," says Domino's CEO Patrick …

Three-quarters (75%) of retail marketers believe that digital advertising delivers a higher ROI than offline advertising, including circulars and direct mail. A survey of 200 retail marketing decision-makers and influencers commissioned by RetailMeNot Inc. and conducted by Kelton, shows that despite this belief, 51% of respondents said digital marketing spend in retail compared to offline marketing spend is still about 50/50. When it comes to mobile, nearly two-thirds (65%) believe that branded mobile platforms like apps are effective at driving in-store sales. However, only 19% of respondents said they were advanced in native mobile applications.

Lowe's stores in Toronto will be the first to feature the Lowe's Holoroom, an immersive experience enabling shoppers to see how products will look in their bathroom using augmented reality and a specially designed tablet. The Holoroom is billed by the retailer as a "home improvement simulator" that uses 3D and augmented reality technologies to create the life-size experience designed to help consumers envision how certain products would look in their homes. The Holoroom, which is the first concept to come out of the Lowe's Innovation Labs, was previewed this week at the Exponential Finance conference in New York.

About 40% of flash-sale e-retailer Beyond the Rack's sales come from mobile devices, Richard Cohene, the company's director of marketing, told attendees at the 2014 Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition. In 2013, the retailer did $160 million in web sales, landing Beyond the Rack at No. 169 on Internet Retailer's 2014 Top 500 Guide. Cohene says the company decided to go mobile first with a mobile-optimized site because a consumer does not need to download or open an app to engage with the brand. "There is no barrier to the mobile web," he said. "The web was that first step …

Mobile commerce firm Paytm will invest Rs 150 crore in 2014 as it expands operations and reach buoyed by the growth in smartphone penetration in India. Paytm, which started by offering mobile recharge and utility bill payments, will invest the amount in recruiting fresh talent, acquisitions, marketing and brand building. "We will invest Rs 150 crore in expansion. The amount will be sourced through internal accruals and will be invested in this calendar year," Paytm Founder and CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma told PTI.

Etisalat has stepped up its challenge for Nigeria's largely untapped mobile commerce (m-commerce) market with the launch of a new smartphone app to complement its existing m-commerce platform. BMI believes the new service will resonate with consumers, particularly those seeking for convenient ways to pay for goods and services. Etisalat's original m-commerce service, based on a fully functional m-wallet application installed directly on consumer SIM cards, was launched in Nigeria in September 2012. ( see 'Etisalat M-Wallet: Potential Game Changer', September 14 2012). The operator disclosed that that it had recorded more than 15mn application downloads on consumer SIM cards …