Mobile eCommerce Today: How are consumers shopping on the go?
Consumers like to shop using various devices. We already know that shoppers are looking at products on their computer, browsing reviews on their smartphones, and watching videos on YouTube with their tablet. Research from the 2016 Internet Retailer Mobile 500 shows that 1 in 6 U.S. consumers now shop using ONLY a tablet or smartphone.
The gap is bridging between desktop, smartphone, and tablet. An important thing to keep in mind, is how people are using their smartphone. Texting, social media (i.e. Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat), and videos are still the primary uses for nearly two-thirds of all users with a smartphone. We are seeing that the majority of people making purchases on their smartphone are from email. This means that your email program must lend itself to a smaller screen. It’s also worth considering accepting mobile payment options, such as Apple Pay or Google Wallet. For more information on mobile payment, read more from our blog, “In Mobile News…”
Smartphones Path to Purchase: Are you ready?
It is true that we use our phones for many things. However, 67% of shoppers who are under the age of 50, are interested in a total mobile path to purchase. Smartphone sales are still slightly behind tablet sales. Based on research from Internet Retailer, 40% of mobile sales are from a smartphone, and 60% of mobile sales are from tablet. We spend so much time on our mobile devices anyway. Let’s make shopping an easy and satisfying experience.
Also, don’t forget that after the purchase is made, consumers often want to show off their merchandise. Keep your social sharing icons visible. Like it! Pin it! Post it!
Research about Mobile Market Growth in the U.S. and Worldwide: Where are mobile sales going?
Mobile sales among the top 500 mobile players around the world, will exceed $155 billion in revenue this year based on 2015 projections. This is a 68% increase from last year. Who are the mobile 500? North American retailers make up $88.7 billion, with China coming in second at $39.4 billion, followed by Europe with $25.6 billion.
It is important to note that while the Chinese mobile ecommerce sales only account for a quarter of the total mobile sales, China’s $39.4 billion is generated from only 13 different retailers. The $88.7 billion from North America, comes from 385 retailers. The takeaway here is to remember that as you are developing a mobile ecommerce strategy, keep in mind that the Asian mobile ecommerce market is getting bigger every day. If you are trying to expand your reach to Asia, do so with mobile.
If we dive deeper into what categories are driving the mobile sales growth this year, we see that the Health/Beauty industry is growing 113% from last year. Mass merchant sales are growing by 100%. Apparel/Accessories are growing by 77.8%.
Mobile ecommerce is growing, but it is also very fragmented. This is because consumers have so many options between devices (i.e. iPhone, Android, tablet, desktop) and browsers (not to mention the thousands of apps available). It is important to keep your message consistent, but relevant. Cater to your target market and how they are consuming information.
Need help developing a strategy? Contact us: info@bluemoondigital.co.
Source: http://images.internetretailer.com/IR-Webinars/100115_Mobile500_Webinar_IR.pdf
