May 10, 2021Have you been keeping up to date with mobile shopping trends? In 2021, mobile shopping makes up a huge percentage of online sales and enables people to access your online store wherever they are.
No matter what you’re selling, having a presence on mobile is crucial to keeping your audience engaged and ensuring that they have multiple channels through which they can purchase.
In this article we’re unpacking the key facts and figures on mobile shopping trends and how brands can benefit.
Take a look at the key facts and figures on mobile shopping trends:
Unsurprisingly, in the year where almost everyone was kept at home, mobile and online shopping figures rose. 55.4% of consumers were shopping online via mobile in 2020, either using their mobile to purchase via a browser or an app. This shows the importance of having a mobile friendly site and an app that works effectively in order to make the shopping experience a good one for your customers. It also shows that if you don’t have those two things in place, you’re probably missing out on some serious online sales.
Apps are generally considered a better way to browse and shop, and have the benefit of staying on the customers mobile at all times. This means that your brand stays in the forefront of their minds and is much more easily accessible than on a browser. Consumers prefer apps to website when it comes to shopping, and ensuring that yours is meeting requirements will improve the customer experience on mobile.
Higher engagement rates on apps are likely due to the personalised nature, and the higher conversion rates speak to how comfortable people feel on an app. Apps feel much more secure, and allow the customer to purchase using their phone wallet. This easy method of purchasing makes things much more quick and simple, meaning that conversion rates skyrocket on an app vs web.
Social media and mobile purchasing go hand in hand. With so many people on social media, it makes sense that your brand utilizes the magic of social media marketing to direct people to your mobile shopping options. Influencer marketing campaigns are ideal for mobile shopping, as is proven by the 55% of people who have bought something after seeing it on social media.
The average customer is an omni channel shopper, meaning they use multiple channels when shopping. As a brand this means that you need to offer multiple channels through which to shop, or you could miss out. More shopping channels means more opportunity to reach your customers in a way that suits them.
Don’t forget tablets when it comes to mobile shopping. While many people use their laptops, computers and phones for business, it seems that tablets are kept for fun and games. The majority of people seem to kick back with their tablet to online shop, with a massive 3.32% conversion rate. This is higher than any other online method, and seems to be because people associate their tablet with shopping and leisure activities more than any other device.
As you can see, including mobile as an option for your customers is key. Whether you think it will convert your audience or not, giving them the option to shop on mobile via a mobile friendly website or an app is essential moving forward.
The best time to do it is now, as mobile shopping is on the rise, and it’s a great time to see how it resonates with your audience. When you utilize mobile commerce, you open up a new channel of revenue that can impact your overall sales. So, what are the best ways to improve mobile experiences and get your customers buying via mobile?
It goes without saying that if you want to convert sales online, having an app is going to help. Reflecting on the stats above, you can see that app purchases convert very well and offer customers an alternative channel through which to shop.
Often the reason people navigate away from mobile purchasing is because the process is too long and frustrates them. This is also why so many carts are abandoned at the last minute – because people cannot be bothered to go through with the order.
App purchases take the stress and hassle out of online shopping by connecting to the customer’s wallet and ensuring that they can pay with the click of a button. Plus, with notifications and reminders that allow you to connect with your customers, apps provide those crucial touch points that keep you in the customer’s mind.
When it comes to sending push notifications, emails and social media messages tempting customers to buy online, it is important to consider when people are most likely to be using their mobiles for shopping. Optimizing your marketing for online and mobile sales should be a key pillar of your marketing strategy.
It is important to utilize social media to sell products online, especially via mobile. Working to build up a brand presence on social media and partnering up with content creators to run influencer marketing campaigns is crucial to directing people to your online channels.
You may also like to consider the time of day that you’re directing people to your mobile offering. For example, studies show that afternoon shoppers (1 PM) have the highest average order values so running campaigns that capture audiences at those times are likely to be more successful.
Encouraging people to shop via their mobile can initially be a tricky task. However, once customers get into the swing of things, you’ll likely find that they love the ease of using their mobile or an app to make a purchase.
To gain that initial interest and get customers to download an app or shop via mobile, it can be helpful to offer incentives for app downloads. For example, a percentage off your shop with a one time code will entice your customers to download an app.
Getting them on board with your mobile app will help you market to them in future, and will offer a seamless mobile experience that will make them more likely to purchase.
Jeff Francis is a veteran entrepreneur and founder of Dallas-based digital product studio ENO8. Jeff founded ENO8 to empower companies of all sizes to design, develop and deliver innovative, impactful digital products. With more than 18 years working with early-stage startups, Jeff has a passion for creating and growing new businesses from the ground up, and has honed a unique ability to assist companies with aligning their technology product initiatives with real business outcomes.
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