Introduction

With the dotcom boom in the late 1990’s and the beginning of the 21st century; many new ideas and technology have developed. Businesses found new ways to increase their revenue. One significant way was through electronic commerce, also known as e-commerce ( www.SearchMobileComputing.com ). A way to buy and sell goods and services via the internet; e-commerce has proven to be a very beneficial and efficient system in the corporate world ( www.SearchMobileComputing.com ). Electronic commerce has paved the way to a new kind of communication called mobile commerce, often referred to as m-commerce as well as mobile e-commerce ( www.SearchMobileComputing.com ). The term m-commerce is defined as the buying and selling of products and services on hand held devices, such as cellular phones and PDAs ( www.SearchMobileComputing.com ). Although m-commerce is more common in Europe and Asia; it is becoming more and more popular around the world ( www.SearchMobileComputing.com ). Since it is relatively new to the market, there are still many shortcomings in this new avenue of business. As time goes by, the efficiency of m-commerce is improving with the help of better fit devices. Advancement in technology promises a big future in the mobile commerce world.

What is M-Commerce?

During the period of the dotcom boom, the idea of m-commerce was envisioned to be a lucrative market ( www.wikipedia.org ). The money making potential of m-commerce was a great incentive for European telecommunicating companies to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in licensing fees, to license third generation (3G) technology in 2000-2001( www.wikipedia.org ). These changes enabled m-commerce. M-commerce is done on handheld devices, such as 3G powered cell phones and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistance) ( Abbott ). Although m-commerce has the potential to have a variety of markets; it is generally used in the sales and the downloading of games and ring tones on hand held devices ( www.wikipedia.org ). As 3G technology becomes more prevalent, the devices include more features. For example, some 3G technology devices offer payment for location based services ( www.wikipedia.org ). A customer can use these devices instantly to obtain maps and directions ( www.wikipedia.org ). Another common feature that accompanies m-commerce is SMS (short messaging services); a feature often referred to as text messaging ( www.wikipedia.org ). As the internet, e-commerce and hand held devices are becoming a standard part of the professional world; there is an immense market for mobile e-commerce ( Abbott ). The increasing technology that enables handheld devices to offer WAP (Wireless Application Protocol), also contributes to its market ( www.wikipedia.org ). The cost for companies to enter the world of m-commerce is relatively inexpensive; with increasing revenues from e-commerce, there is an incentive for businesses to invest in this innovative idea ( Abbott ). In 2000, the m-commerce market was worth $3.5 billion, but as this new idea evolves, its expenditures will grow exponentially ( Abbott ).