Wireless commerce: marketing issues and possibilities

Wireless commerce is viewed as the extension of Internet-based e-commerce beyond the static terminal of the PC or the Web-TV to the flexible anytime, anywhere, anyplace context of the mobile environment. While many in the industry and popular press seem to equate the world of Internet e-commerce and wireless commerce as one and the same, there are unique characteristics of the wireless technology and its usage that renders it distinctly different from and complementary to Internet based e-commerce. This difference also has important implications for the marketing of goods, services and content and for conducting marketing research using wireless technology. We first discuss the unique characteristics of wireless technology and its usage. On the basis of these characteristics, we identify and set out a series of propositions that relate to the issues of marketing and marketing research using wireless technology. In making our arguments, we view how wireless technology's contribution complement the capabilities brought about by Internet based e-commerce. Finally, we outline a marketing research agenda that will allow testing of some of the propositions put forth in the paper.