eCommerce is making its way onto cellphones across the country, thanks to mobile shop and compare sites like Frucall and the newly released mShopper. Amazon and Yahoo are also getting into the “mCommerce game,” but at this point, no application has a clear market majority. Obviously, any attempt at increasing customer convenience should be greeted with open arms, especially as web-enabled mobile devices are increasingly becoming the norm. However, this principle only applies if the mobile shopping site fulfills its primary purpose for consumers - that is, making it as easy as possible to compare and shop on a cellphone. This means taking customer expectations for how to shop online and translating them as smoothly as possible to the mobile experience. In this regard, not all mobile shopping sites are created equal.

Frucall, for example, requires a customer to enter a UPC code to shop and compare on its site. This forces customers to shop in a way they’re not used to, which may cause frustration if the UPC code is not readily available. mShopper, in contrast, requires very little text to find an item, making it much easier to navigate and shop within the site. However, Frucall searches the full web for products and prices, while mShopper restricts itself to a select network of online stores, giving Frucall a much broader base of products for comparison shoppers.

I have no doubt that these on-the-go eCommerce tools will continue to refine their design and functionality, and it’s going to be interesting to see the effect they have on offline retailers, as customers browse in-store items and find a better price on the web, leaving with no purchase in hand.

What do you think will be the effect of mobile shopping sites on both offline and online commerce? Leave your thoughts in the comments.