Mobile Commerce taking off in Japan

Interesting article about how mobile commerce is taking off in Japan. Based on what I've been hearing from focus groups, interviews, etc. with young females, this'll be HUGE in the U.S. once we get our systems working. Stay tuned...

Mobile commerce over cell phones jumped 25 percent last fiscal year to around 971 billion yen ($8.8 billion) according to a survey on e-business just released by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. Covering all of fiscal 2004 (which in Japan ended March '05), the survey showed wireless purchases of books and music had grown by 85 percent from virtually nothing the previous year to 330 million yen ($3 million). Shopping for clothing and accessories over the smallest screen accelerated 79 percent, taking in 150 hundred million yen ($1.3 million).