While online buying in general is growing dramatically, shopping on mobile devices has been growing even faster. In 2013, nearly 40% of purchases made on the biggest shopping day of the year in the U.S. - Black Friday - were from mobile devices. In 2014, 40% of holiday shopping occurred online according to Google and mobile devices set a new milestone when its traffic outpaced desktop. For this year, eMarketer expects U.S. retail mcommerce sales to rise 32.2% by the end of the year — more than double the 14.2% increase forecast for retail ecommerce sales as a whole.
With the number of smartphone users worldwide expected to surpass 2 billion in 2016, eMarketer’s prediction that 25% of all retail ecommerce sales in the U.S. will take place via mobile devices by the end of next year doesn’t seem out of place.
Mobile is and will continue to play an increasingly huge part in ecommerce growth this holiday season, as consumers become more reliant on the convenience of comparison-shopping and making purchases on their phones.
To be ready for the surge in consumer activity, here are some essentials for ensuring that your online store is ready to take advantage of the holiday rush.
With over 50% of all online shopping now occurring on smartphones and tablets, you risk losing customers if your website isn’t mobile-friendly. This means having your text, images and navigation adjusted for smaller screens so customers can easily tap their way through your website and checkout. To check if your site passes Google’s basic mobile test, click here. Clean and simple responsive design mirroring your main site works best.
With consumers shopping at all times of the day and night around the world, your site and cart have to be reliable and fast. If it’s slow to load, or - in the case of Argo - shuts down completely, users will quickly move on, resulting in a substantial loss of potential sales.
So, start now and test your mobile site’s ability to accommodate a high volume of visitors with high speed. Also, ensure that the site contains all that’s necessary to move the consumer through from shopping to purchasing quickly and simply. Optimizing your checkout will help mitigate mobile cart abandonment and ultimately help your bottom line.
Sometimes, your potential customers need an extra little push to buy your product or service. Whether it’s a coupon, the ability to save a shopping list while they continue shopping or having product reviews available, make it as easy decision as possible to complete a purchase. One in three consumers use a mobile device to redeem coupons, manage shopping lists and read product reviews.
Simply put, Google will penalize you if your website is not mobile-friendly, which could ultimately cause a huge loss in your organic traffic. Check to see if your site passes as soon as possible.
Providing an optimized and cohesive mobile shopping experience (AKA your mcommerce strategy) for users is essential for your online business. As mobile devices are increasingly dominating the ecommerce space, it’s imperative that you as a digital retailer invest heavily in capabilities that enhance your mobile functionality and user experience. By doing so, you will be positioned to make the most of the holiday shopping season - and beyond.
