The way in which we do commerce across the globe has changed greatly in the last decade, and indeed in just the last couple of years. No longer can commerce be thought of as solely completed in brick-and-mortar storefronts and on PCs, through online commerce sites. We now have commerce anywhere and everywhere, through mobile devices and card readers that plug into our smartphones. Business models have expanded past the “freemium” and premium models used extensively online into innovative concepts such as social commerce and “causium” implementations. The commerce lifecycle is literally changing before our eyes.

On a recent trip to San Francisco, I found myself in one of the on-demand car service options traveling from my hotel across town to the Moscone conference center. While riding along, I realized that I had forgotten to purchase a birthday present for a friend. Using my smartphone, I looked up my friend’s wish list on a popular online shopping site and purchased a present to be shipped out that day in a few simple clicks. The site let me sign in quickly via my mobile device, find my friend’s wish list, see what was recommended for her, and check out without even having to pull out my credit card. I then remembered that the night before another friend had paid for dinner and I wanted to reimburse him for my half. So I opened my PayPal app on the phone and quickly transferred some funds to him.

In that short ride, I had completed multiple commerce transactions. When we arrived at the conference center, I handed my credit card to the driver, who took out his smartphone and plugged in a tiny card reader. He proceeded to swipe my credit card, input the total, and have me sign, and then emailed me a receipt.