
The average UK consumer spends roughly 25 minutes a day accessing the internet on their smartphone, shopping or searching for information regarding a possible purchase when in store. Smartphones are now replacing the role of the retail assistant, as consumers desire a quick and uninterrupted access point to information. An interesting outlook from Google reveals that mobile usage heavily influences the path to purchase whilst also actually increasing the average shopping cart size; an outcome almost every online retailer dreams of.
Despite this, a large proportion of retailers are still pretty clueless as to how to provide a user-friendly mobile site, specifically tailored to the new generation of consumer, encouraging repeat visits, multiple purchases as well as an improved reputation. It is therefore vital that companies operating online evaluate their content strategies, whilst realising they have to maintain unique brand experiences on mobile channels to ensure filled shopping carts and a completed purchase. Brands can essentially monetise consumer motivations and impulses through a varied and distributed retail model, utilising apps, interactive functions and innovative visual content, only available effective mobile optimisation. Common problems experienced by consumers include a slow-loading page, navigational issues and a confusing, often long-winded purchase process. To fulfil revenue predictions and growth plans, from a hosting perspective, it is essential that the first step within the mobile optimisation process be to make sure that your provider can cope with mobile traffic whilst providing a seamless online experience, from search to purchase. Consumers want information quickly and immediately, this is particularly relevant when adjusting to seasonal demand; specific measures need to be implemented without directly affecting a consumer’s mobile experience or the quality of content.Every consumer uses their mobile differently, therefore retailers must increase their digital footprint and embrace the use of smart content in an effort to adjust and appeal to changing consumer consumption habits. Mobile retailing also has the power to trigger spontaneous purchases, a unique attribute not yet fully realised. Research conducted by Econsultancy found that mobile sites have proven more popular than apps and consumers are more likely to make purchases via mobile sites. Keeping calls to action and design very simple is the key to an optimised mobile site, excluding unnecessary banner adverts or cryptic fonts. The most important thing is to keep the steps from initial search to purchase as simple and as unobtrusive as possible. Consumers generally don’t want to register or ‘make an account’ prior to inputting their payment details. It is an intrusive and unnecessary marketing step. Also, optimised buttons in the right size and colours make it a smooth and simplistic route to purchase. A good example of a brand taking advantage of this is Debenhams. Their customer adoption across multiple channels tells you that mobile consumption is soaring. Generically online sales were up 40 per cent in the last 16 weeks to 22nd June 2013, with mobile visits compared to the same period last year, up 85 per cent. The key message here is that Debenhams realised the potential of m-commerce and adjusted their online offering accordingly, having made content more engaging, relevant and social, therefore benefiting from the way their consumers are using smartphones and media devices.
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