Tag: mobile commerce sales

The latest data regarding sales transactions over smartphones and tablets have shown massive growth.

The findings of an analysis conducted by Capgemini and IMRG have shown that the sales transacted over mobile commerce have reached a point that they are far hotter than they have ever been.

In fact, the report shows that the current figures are leading 2013 to be a year that is double last year.

The trend revealed by the recent mobile commerce report indicated that it is becoming ever more urgent for retailers to make sure that their websites have been optimized for the screens and navigation available on smartphones and tablets. Soon, this will also include high tech smartwatches with even smaller screens.

The data from the report showed that 23.2 percent of online shopping in the second quarter from mobile commerce.

This is a notable increase when compared to the mobile commerce figure from the same quarter in 2012, which was 11.6 percent. This indicates that it could be highly beneficial for retailers and other companies to recreate a version of their website that is meant specifically for smartphones and tablets. This way, no matter what device the consumer happens to prefer, all of the content will be easily available, improving the experience of the visitor.

That said, there are also some retailers who are approaching mobile commerce with a tactic preferring “responsive” websites. Those are sites that are designed to display themselves properly on whatever screen is used. Though effective, it is an increasingly expensive effort, which can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $25,000 with additional upfront costs based on the specific design itself and the functionality that is desired.

The compatibility of a website with mobile commerce users is very important, as there are only under 3 seconds available in which to make a good impression with a visitor before he or she will become impatient and simply move on to a competitor’s website. Despite the fact that mobile internet connections are tremendously slower than those for most desktops, consumers still expect the same performance speeds from the websites that they visit on their smartphones.

Some companies and techniques are working to expand the use of shopping over this channel.

Mobile commerce is taking off very rapidly but, at the same time, the number of consumers who are using the channel are exceptionally low compared to the number who shop in person or who buy over the internet on their laptops and desktops.

There are a number of reasons that people have hesitated to turn to their smartphones to buy.

People frequently hold back from shopping via smartphone and tablet because mobile commerce often comes with slow internet speeds, improperly optimized websites, long page load times, and concerns over the security of payments. Despite the fact that online shopping no matter where the consumer may be provides a tremendous opportunity for convenience, variety, and price comparisons but even the best apps and websites often lead individuals to learn about a product and then purchase it on a desktop or in a brick and mortar store instead of buying over that channel.

However, many mobile commerce using companies are working to boost the numbers.

The latest sales data from Capgemini and IMRG have shown that from the second quarter of last year to the same quarter this year, there was an increase in mobile commerce sales from 11.6 percent of online purchases to 23 percent.

There are many reasons that consumers are still hesitating to buy over mobile commerce. They include the following:

• Reduced internet performance that doesn’t meet the expectations of consumers.
• Heavy page weight that leads to increased load times.
• Redirection issues
• Security concerns

A mobile commerce survey in which 728 people participated showed that among all of the various tasks that people complete using their smartphones or tablets, “reserve and collect” services, and “shopping online” were still lower than many companies would hope. Among those respondents, only 9 percent shopped online and 27 percent used reserve and collect services (where an item is ordered to be put aside in a store and the customer picks it up in person). This suggests to many that a “click to collect” service may be more appealing to consumers than actually completing the order to be shipped online by way of a small screen device.