M-commerce -  Its advantages and disadvantage
M- commerce mean mobile commerce. It is the buying and selling of goods and services using a wireless handheld device such as tablets or smartphone. It is a subset of e-commerce, it takes help or e-commerce background and wireless technology (WAP). Just like e-commerce, m-commerce enables us to make a purchase from anywhere without the need to visit a physical store and the products will get delivered to the address. Payments can be done digital wallets .
 Applications of M-Commerce:-
1.                 Shopping
2.                 Banking
3.                 Entertainment
4.                 Information Services
5.                 Marketing
 Advantages of M-Commerce :-
1.                 It creates global customer base:-
Anyone having a mobile device and an internet connection can shop from anywhere they happen to be. M-commerce makes it convenient to provide information to customers at any place and any time. It is convenient for the customers as they are not needed to visit a physical shop at some particular place and also they can make the purchase at any time according to their convenience and are not required to worry about the physical shop’s  working time. On the other hand, sellers are able to reach global customers as well which means more customers, more sales.
 2.                 It Opens up the rural Markets:-
With the introduction of mobile commerce, now local customers are not required to visit the physical stores to purchase products. They no longer need to wait in long waiting lines in front of stores as they can order the products needed online and get them delivered at their home. This also reduces the sellers workload as now they do not need to attend customers personally , the only task they are responsible for is to get the ordered products delivered on time.
 3.                 Sellers have access to more customer’s data :-
With the use of E-commerce applications, sellers have more access to more data of customers who are buying or viewing their products on their mobile phones. With the revolutionisation of technology and applications, it is possible to track someone’s activities as what user’s are searching for, what kind of products they are viewing and this will help sellers is learning what is in demand so that they can plan their products accordingly and also can know who all are their potential customers so that they can target them.
 4.                 It is easier to re market customers with m-commerce:-
M-commerce enables businesses to re market the products to customers. If customer has searched for some product but didn’t purchased it or left it in their cart , then sellers have the ability to bring back that customer to their business which is not possible if customers left the product on a physical store, as their isn’t a way to contact that customer again.
 5.                 It allows you to scale your business quickly :-
If you have a m-commerce presence, you can easily and quickly scale up your business. With the physical store, it is quite difficult to reach to global customers but with online business and use of m-commerce, you can reach to global customers easily and efficiently. While working with online advertisement, you can add money to your campaign when you see that your advertisement campaign is working well. Also you don’t to need to worry about getting a place for your inventory because here everything is available online.
 Disadvantages of M-Commerce
1.                 Lack of personal touch :-
With the mobile commerce, there is lack of  personal touch. Buyers can’t see or touch the product in real before buying it and because of this they doubt on the quality of product. So despite inviting graphics, detailed product descriptions, discount offers, etc., Sellers must ensure that their website’s first impression should be good in the eyes of buyers . If any website, product or app have more positive reviews, then their are more chances of other customer to make a purchase from that website. So customer reviews forms the foundation of the company.
 2.                 It requires technology access :-
If customers doesn’t have a mobile device, then he/she cannot be a part of m-commerce. In fact if they do have mobile phones then that devices must be capable of installing and operating the m-commerce apps or websites.
 3.                 It requires app or website to be in working condition:-
If your  app or website is not responding due to some reasons, then you are not going to be generating any sales till the time it gets fixed. And this will lead you to a loss in profit. Also if users don’t find any app or website working properly, they make a poor image of it in their minds and often do not visit it again which means loss of customers. So technology issues could become the barriers also sometimes.
 4.                 Products needs to be delivered:-
With m-commerce, sellers need to deliver the order to customers for which they need to put faith into third party shipping companies. If in case the product is dispatched from the warehouse but not delivered to the intended customer on time on in good condition, then customers make the sellers responsible for this and doesn’t blame the shipping company. Also the loss is beard by the sellers.
 5.                 Highly competitive market place:-
Online marketing is a highly competitive market place as there are numerous e-commerce sites selling the same kind of products and as there is no distance issue because no matter from where you order, you will get your product delivered at your place. Whereas in case of physical stores, sellers are able to get permanent customers who lives in their locality. New sellers have to face a tough competition to create their company’s presence online. Companies are needed to provide exciting offers so that customers will choose them over their competitors.