Tag: retail applications

A recent survey has shown that apps play an important role in m-commerce decision making.

The results of a new survey that was conducted by Apptentive have shown that most shoppers will browse through at least one retail mobile app before they actually head out to a brick and mortar shop to purchase the item they have been considering.

The survey involved the participation of 350 people, and was held in July 2015 regarding shopping habits.

What the survey showed was that when consumers were considering making a purchase, many of them would turn to a mobile app, or several applications, to help them through the decision making portion of their purchasing experience. The data leaned heavily to the side of using mobile technology when retail shopping was involved.

The survey showed 88 percent of shoppers used a mobile app from one of their favorite retailers.

It also revealed that 61 percent of the participants said that they had used those mobile apps within the month prior to having participated in the survey. A smaller number of the respondents, 26 percent, said that they used their retail apps on a regular basis – that is, 7 or more times per month.

Overall, the mobile device users would look to their apps to help them to prepare to head out and go shopping. They would usually have finished using those applications ahead of actually arriving at the brick and mortar shop. Apptentive called the behavior “app-rooming”, as 71 percent would use the application as a kind of digital showroom, to look through the specifications of a product before actually heading over to look at the physical item that they wished to purchase. Those shoppers conducted this app-rooming behavior at least one time every month.

Once they actually reached the stores, they would still use the mobile app, but not quite as much. Just slightly more than half of the respondents to the survey had used retail apps while they were actually within the store itself. Still, over half is a highly significant proportion of the customers that make their way into a store on any given day.

Mobally launches new API

Mobally, a firm specializing in mobile commerce, has published a new API designed to help retailers take advantage of the growing phenomenon of mobile shopping. Many retailers have seen a dramatic rise in mobile traffic and activity in recent years, but many have yet to embrace mobile commerce in any significant fashion. This may be due to a lack of the mobile space itself and how mobile application work. Mobally believes that its API can help resolve this issue.

API allows for the development of platform agnostic apps

The API enables retailers to design, develop, and deploy completely native retail applications. These applications are platform agnostic, meaning they can be used on both Android and iOS devices as well as others. The applications are meant to help retailers establish a stronger presence in the mobile space, making them more attractive to consumers that have taken to shopping from their mobile devices more regularly.

Retailers become more focused on mobile commerce

Over the past two years, the retail industry has become quite interested in mobile commerce. During the holiday seasons of 2011, 2012, and 2013, mobile sales began to skyrocket, showing retailers that mobile commerce is a promising pursuit. While many large retail organizations have managed to develop their own applications with relative ease, specialty retailers and smaller organizations have had more trouble in this endeavor. Many retailers lack an understanding of mobile technology because of their strict focus on their physical stores and traditional forms of engagement. As such, when these retailers develop their own applications, they can provide a somewhat unpleasant experience for shoppers.

Quickly developed apps may not win consumer favor

An API like that being offered by Mobally could help retailers overcome certain technical hurdles and engage consumers in a more dynamic way. The API allows retailers to quickly build new applications, allowing them to move from concept to deployment in a relatively short amount of time. While this may be good news for retailers, hastily developed applications could provide consumers with a lackluster experience.