Tag: mcommerce

UK retail industry may not be accommodating of mobile commerce

Mobile commerce is expanding, but United Kingdom retailers may be missing their opportunity to take advantage of the growing number of consumers that are interested in shopping from their mobile devices. Skava, a leading provider of retail technology, has announced that it recently participated in a study of UK and U.S. retailers. The study suggests that a significant portion of retailers in the UK are not optimizing their websites for mobile devices, which means that they could be missing out on a significant amount of business from mobile consumers.

Study shows half of top 100 retailers in the UK are not taking mobile seriously

The study shows that only 50% of the UK’s top 100 retailers have optimized their websites for mobile devices, compared to 100% of the top 100 retailers in the U.S. Skava suggests that not optimizing retail sites for mobile viewing could be a major misstep for UK retailers, especially as consumers become more apt to use their mobile devices to make purchases. Mobile commerce is growing in popularity and many retailers may find that they are missing a significant opportunity, potentially losing their spot in the top 100 by making it difficult for consumers to participate in mobile shopping.

Websites optimized for mobile devices are becoming increasingly important

Websites that are not optimized for mobile devices are difficult for mobile consumers to use. This is because mobile devices are inherently different than traditional computers. Smaller screens and access to mobile Internet make it difficult for consumers to browse sites that do not prioritize cross-platform optimization. In terms of mobile commerce, e-commerce sites make mobile payments almost impossible, providing consumers with a poor experience.

Skava aims to promote mobile commerce services

The growing number of consumers with smartphones and tablets has lead many companies to optimize their websites for mobile viewing, but much of the retail industry in the UK remains somewhat complacent. Skava recently entered into the European market in order to provide more services to the retail industry, aiming to help retailers become more accommodating of mobile commerce.

Keynote is using the company as an example of how some retailers are improving site performance.

The results of the Keynote Mobile Commerce Performance Index for the week that ended on March 10 have been released, and W.W. Granger Inc. topped the list with an exceptional mcommerce performance in both its load time and its successful completions.

These are the two main factors that are taken into consideration by the index when it issues its scores.

During the most recent week of the index, the mcommerce site for W.W. Grainger loaded with an average speed of 4.30 seconds and was able to completely and successfully load 99.46 percent of the time. By combining those two factors, the website earned a score on the index of 938 out of a possible 1,000 points.

The next mcommerce website on the index didn’t load nearly as quickly at almost a full second slower.

HSN Inc., the TV retailer, earned the second place with its 5.23 second load time and its 99.56 percent success rate. Its score was quite close to that of Grainger, at 931. In third place was Barnes & Noble, which loaded within 5.47 seconds and had a 99.46 percent success rate. That company earned a score of 909.

The fourth place position was taken by Toolfetch.com LLC. Its load time was actually far better than that of Grainger, at 3.24 seconds, on average. However, its success rate was 99.02 percent, which brought its score to 895 and held it from achieving one of the top three positions. Target Corp snatched up the fifth spot this week, though its load time was considerably slower than those ahead of it, at 8.36 seconds. Its success rate, however, was better than the company that ranked first, at 99.67 percent. Its score was 871.

Grainger currently holds the 76th position in the Internet Retailer Mobile 400, with HSN at 14 and Barnes and Noble positioned at 31. Toolfetch is currently ranked at 248, while Target has the 34th position.

Over the entire mcommerce index, the average load time for that week was recorded to be 9.67 seconds, while the average success rate was 98.82 percent. The average score among all thirty of the businesses was 701.