It’s a long-touted myth that “mobile doesn’t convert,” one that gets repeated frequently in the blogosphere. Let’s unpack this idea with a few different scenarios…
Scenario 1: We. Can’t. Even. Figure Out Your Website.
Say you’re having the party of the century, and you’re all set – drinks purchased, decorations done, playlist on point… but then nobody shows up. Wondering why your friends bailed on you, it occurs to you that no one knows how to get to your place.
Your friends were so lost they couldn’t even text you. They just left.
This sentiment is a major problem with mobile conversions. It’s not that users don’t want to convert, it’s that your site isn’t navigable on mobile. They don’t know how to get to the party.
A customer may want to purchase on mobile, but she can’t “tap” or “pinch” the pictures to zoom in on your products. She can’t easily compare items, and she can’t figure out how to get to her cart.
And this is a pretty common problem. We know that 40% of users will leave if your site’s experience isn’t mobile compatible. The real issue here isn’t that mobile users don’t purchase, it’s that sometimes they can’t. It’s time to address your mobile site user experience and come up with a plan.
Scenario 2: You’re Not Properly Tracking Mobile Conversions.
Let’s give credit where credit’s due, shall we?
In a lot of cases, mobile was actually the touch that prompted your user to convert, but you’re not giving it proper attribution credit. Users check their phones 150 times a day. Your mobile-specific ads have a lot of opportunities for reach here.
Plus, a huge chunk of users in the U.S. have more than one device: 53% have a smartphone, 79% have PCs, and 42% have tablets.
With all that activity in mind, are you using your cross-device reporting to the best of your ability? Or are you just looking at last-click?
Start tracking users across multiple devices, and make it easy for them to pick up where they left off to finish the transaction.
Scenario 3: Mobile Is Just One (Major) Piece Of The Puzzle.
Think about the ways people interact with technology. Mobile itself isn’t the only means-to-which we should focus our attention. Instead we need to look at how users incorporate mobile into the multi-touch purchasing funnel.
What if you’re in a grocery store and you want to find the best bar of soap? You might take out your phone and search reviews. And you’re definitely not the only person who does this – 74% of users search on their smartphones while shopping, and 79% of those searches result in a purchase. Mobile coupons incur redemption rates 10 times higher than print.
If mobile is the first touch, and the user actually purchases – in-store or on desktop – that’s a successful conversion. Using a mobile-specific campaign can influence purchases across all points of the funnel, and is an approach that you should absolutely layer into your display efforts.
With these scenarios in mind, we definitely think it’s a myth that mobile doesn’t convert – and when the user experience, attribution, and holistic approaches are considered, mobile (and a mobile-specific campaign) is one of the most powerful tools we have for our marketing mix.
Speaking of mixes, I hear you’re having a party?
