The announcement this week that Tesco is to launch its first transactional mobile app is interesting on a number of fronts. Firstly the app will be available in Nokia’s Ovi Store. While Tesco says it plans to roll out the app’s transactional features to a mobile site and an iPhone app, the fact the UK’s biggest retailer chose the Ovi store tells us something about the way it sees smart phone use and the mobile web developing.
Mobile commerce, or m-commerce is on the up. Tesco’s app will allow Tesco.com members to browse a full store and shop through their handsets. Nokia is the most popular handset in the UK, especially with the all important ‘mums demographic’. Online retailer Amazon predicts mobile transactions worldwide will be worth $1.5bn this year alone.
Other UK retailers have already dipped their toes into the m-commerce stream. Waitrose has launched an iPhone app and Asda is said to be launching an iPhone app later this year. However, the retailer with its finger truly on the pulse is Marks & Spencer.
M&S didn’t want to develop an app limited to only one or two platforms so it developed a transactional mobile website instead. Sienne Veit, M&S mobile development manager, said, “We wanted the mobile web to be the foundation our m-commerce strategy. We believe that by not restricting our services to one platform we have broadened our appeal.” The figures certainly back up this theory. Since launching in May 2010 the mobile site has attracted 1.2m unique visitors, 300,000 of whom have made a purchase.

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