The UK's largest mobile operator, Everything Everywhere, is understood to be the driver behind the creation of a joint initiative to help the advertising and retail industries take better advantage of m-commerce.
The operator has persuaded the Association for Interactive Media and Entertainment (AIME), the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) and the Interactive Media in Retail Group (IMRG) to launch the joint leadership body before the end of the year.
The aim of the new body--as yet unnamed--will be to develop and establish m-commerce guidelines and best practice so as to help advertisers and retailers develop the most effective strategies.
Initial thoughts would appear to be centred on assisting retailers with the optimisation of their web sites to not only enable m-commerce transactions, but to also include social networking functionality. The majority of m-commerce research points towards social media being a key driver for mobile internet use, particularly for young adults and teenagers.
Recent market research data released by the three industry organisations indicated that around 40 per cent of UK retailers planned to launch a transactional mobile site or app within 12 months. The survey of 141 retailers also found that only a fifth of the UK's 20 most popular retail sites were optimised for mobile.
Early indications from the new joint trade body point towards discussions on whether a mobile app or site will best advance brands' mobile strategies.
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