Cell phones have become so essential to our daily lives that it’s uncommon to not have the device on hand at all times. Acting as a second brain of sorts, cell phones help us navigate unknown areas, locate friends in said unknown areas (thank you dropped pins), make decisions, contact others, and the list goes on and on. According to Digital Trends, the average American spends 4.7 hours a day on their phone. Now, you could try to justify this by saying that people might be researching current affairs, or studying the digital effects used in the latest Game of Thrones episode (a very important topic in our office), but the latest research reveals that what users really spend their time doing is clearly way more important shopping.
Our mobile devices do more for us than many are willing to accept. Utilizing them to purchase a new pair of shoes, laptops for the office, or even a designer gown changes not only our perception of cell phone use, but our perception of shopping itself. While many consumers still prefer a brick and mortar shopping spree, retailers shouldn’t, and can’t, ignore the rapid growth of mobile for today’s modern shopper.
To demonstrate the quick escalation of mobile e-tail, Internet Retailer estimated that U.S. mobile commerce sales totaled $104 billion in 2015, up 38.7% from $75 billion in 2014. To keep pace with the modern shopper, retailers need to find their “happy place” somewhere between responsive design and a consistent mCommerce experience.
Retailers can benefit tremendously from a simplistic and responsive mobile site that allows users to easily jump between pages. While Accenture says 42% of consumers already think it’s easy to make purchases using a mobile device, those same consumers are twice as likely to get aggravated with the process and forgo their phones all together for in-store shopping. As the Nielsen Norman Group notes, “Mobile smartphones come with inherent constraints: small screen, short sessions, single window visible at one time, and variable connectivity.” To compensate for these shortcomings, it’s imperative for retailers to understand how their product will look across multiple platforms, channels, screens, etc. With this information, designers can craft a mobile site that both responds to consumers’ needs and stays consistent throughout the entire shopping process.
As mobile becomes the preferred channel for finding information about products or services they intend to buy, modern shoppers want and demand an easy and efficient shopping experience. Today, those experiences are more often on screens than in stores. Retailers that maximize their mobile presence will undoubtedly see an increase in revenue and a happier customer, one that’s ready to swipe right to check out.
