Mobile Commerce Examples: How Top Brands Are Dominating Mobile Shopping

As consumers, we are becoming increasingly comfortable holding lots of power in the palms of our hands. We are getting used to having the world at our fingertips. We have computers burning a hole in our pockets…

OK, enough cliches.

In this post we’re going to unpack some of our favorite mobile commerce examples. We’ll look at brands that are providing an excellent user experience, innovating in their space, or raking in lots of money.

But first—a primer on mobile commerce.

Click here to skip to the examples.

What is Mobile Commerce?

Mobile commerce, also called m-commerce, is a subset of e-commerce that represents exactly what it sounds like: E-commerce transactions conducted over mobile devices like smartphones and tablets.

Mobile commerce examples are all around us. Given that nearly half of e-commerce transactions now occur on a mobile device, you may have even seen one as recently as today. Examples include shopping, banking, food delivery/dining, and a dozen others.

It’s impossible to deny the prevalence of these transactions, but if you’re having any trouble, just think about your daily routine. In many cases, it’s simply quicker and easier to accomplish daily tasks using a smartphone—checking a bank balance while on the go, ordering a book from Amazon during a friendly conversation, etc.

Before we get into some of our favorite m-commerce examples, it’s important to understand why this shift from desktop to mobile shopping has occurred.

Convenience

As we discussed at length in another blog post detailing our study of 400 consumers, convenience is the primary factor driving m-commerce. In fact, 57.5% of consumers we surveyed claimed that mobile apps are more convenient than other channels for shopping.

Mobile apps have more sophisticated ability to keep people logged in—as opposed to websites—which allows retailers to more easily store their shopping history. This, in turn, allows the user to have a more seamless experience filled with their preferences. Additionally, many apps allow users to login with their fingerprint (or even your face!) for quicker access.

As you’ll see in the examples in just a bit, mobile app developers for retail have spared no expense to make shopping convenient for their customers.

Mobile eCommerce Examples

“Look at people for an example, but make sure to do things your way.”

 

- Queen Latifah

Look, it may be that it’s been a few years since her last hit single, but Queen Latifah was right on the money with this quote. We hope that you can look at these examples, see the good in them, and go out and make something your own.

Domino’s

It’s not hyperbolic to say that Domino’s has straight-up revolutionized the pizza game. Well, at least the commerce portion...They own the best online ordering experience in their niche, and it’s not particularly close.

And it’s showing up in their P&L. More than 75% of their sales come through digital channels.

Domino’s CEO Ritch Allison was recently quoted on the topic, saying:

“As we look forward, those are the kinds of movements that happened during Covid that we don’t believe are going back,” he said. “Once customers shift to digital ordering, they don’t go back to calling restaurants on the phone.”

With more than 5 million reviews on the App Store (4.8 average rating) and 1.5 million reviews on Google Play (4.7 average rating), the Domino's mobile application is the crown jewel of its digital strategy.

The app is absolutely packed full of features that users love:

• Pizza Tracker - After you place an order you can get real-time updates about the status of your pie. It comes with a progress bar to let you know things when it’s in the oven and when it’s en route. Is this overkill? Maybe. Is it awesome? Absolutely.
• Pie Pass - If you order through the website or app, you can skip the line if you’re picking up in store. When you arrive, you’ll be greeted by name by digital signage, creating a ‘VIP’ experience.
• Delivery Hotspots - Eating your pizza on the go or at a picnic? No sweat—just set your Hotspot in the app and have your meal delivered to somewhere without an address such as a park.
• Objectives and key results (OKRs) - Why text everyone that the pizza arrived when Domino’s can do it for you? This feature allows you to set up a group and send notifications to them. Convenient, but it’s also a genius way to attain more app downloads from referrals.

And these are just some of the features of their mobile app. Say what you will about the quality of the food, but their mobile app is world-class.

Sephora

It’s no surprise that beauty tutorials dominate YouTube and the online video space. After all, where are women supposed to learn make-up tips—their mothers? Not likely. Women of all ages, races, and creeds turn to the Internet to research techniques, styles, and products.

Sephora, an industry-leading chain of cosmetics stores, stepped into the virtual space in a big way with a true innovation in the space.

Sephora's mobile app features a Virtual Artist that uses facial recognition technology to allow customers to ‘try on’ its products digitally. This was piled on top of its Color IQ technology from 2012 that helps women find the perfect shades of lipstick, foundation and concealer.

To put it over the top, customers can use all of this at-home, virtual trial activity in the store by speaking with one of their Beauty Advisors. Sephora has essentially taken the high-end personal shopping experience, digitized it, and made every woman who uses their app feel like one in a million. Nicely done!

MVMT

When Movado (the international conglomerate with brands like Coach, HUGO BOSS, Juicy Couture, Lacoste, Tommy Hilfiger) buys your startup for over $100 million, you know you’re doing something right.

Before the blockbuster deal, however, MVMT was a startup focused on providing stylish watches that appealed to young men. As a direct-to-consumer (DTC) brand, they relied heavily on social media advertising for product discovery and sales.

And since the majority of social media users are accessing platforms like Instagram through their smartphones, having a slick mobile website was crucial to their success. And they nailed it.

The mobile site has a clean, modern, understated look that matches the tone of their products. It’s also easy to navigate and does a great job showcasing their watches and accessories in a variety of different ways—from detailed product pictures on a white, seamless background to slice-of-life photos that would fit perfectly on an Instagram influencer’s profile.