Mobile commerce is an essential part of today’s digital economy as consumers are increasingly using smartphones and tablets to discover new products.
As of Q4 2023, over half of global website traffic originates from mobile devices. And M-commerce retail sales are set to exceed £100 billion in 2025. And with nearly 90% of UK adult consumers owning a smartphone, it goes without saying that any business that prioritises their mobile shopping experience will maintain significant benefit over competitors who don’t.
In 2024, retail businesses must invest in a slick, responsive mobile website and/or app that allows customers to easily browse and buy products in just a few taps, from anywhere.
Consumer Expectations are Leading the Charge
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Customer expectations from the online shopping experience are higher than ever. Providing a seamless, engaging, and convenient shopping experience is essential: from initial promotional touchpoints, through to ordering, fulfilment updates, after sales, and beyond.
As the whole consumer sales funnel grows ever more complex and fragmented, brands need to maintain a solid, cohesive message across multiple touchpoints to maintain firm brand awareness.
Curating a seamless, device-agnostic, omnichannel experience is now absolutely crucial for the modern online retailer, as it serves to boost sales, increase customer loyalty, and drive long-term growth.
Omnichannel Marketing Means Touchpoints Everywhere
Brands also need to consider the sheer omnipresence that is achievable with a consistent omnichannel application.
No longer are brands limited to channels like email and SMS messaging. Brands can harness technology like social media and push notifications to deepen their interaction with customers, present time-sensitive offers, provide order updates, and maintain their grip on user brand awareness.
The days of limited comms and buying options are long gone. eCommerce retailers must consider new technological touchpoints; identify the touchpoints that will best enrapture buyers and streamline their customer experience; and choose those which will provide a consistent, satisfying user experience across all devices.
Additionally, businesses are increasingly embracing the power of data to better understand customer behaviour, improve their strategies, create better overall customer experiences, and improve digital operations overall.
Artificial Intelligence Isn’t So Artificial
The modern consumer expects, if not outright demands, a personalised experience with products, offers, and communications that are tailored to their precise needs. And by innately understanding customer preferences and building granularly tailored experiences, businesses can provide better customer experiences and boost their sales.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) now play a crucial role in optimising mobile commerce platforms and providing consistently personalised customer experiences.
Case in point: we’re observing a shift away from traditionally hard-coded website elements, such as “alternative product suggestions” or “people also purchased” sections, and towards these sections being populated by AI.
This shift uses direct inputs from user behaviour and purchase history to predict what they might want to also purchase, leading to a unique website experience for each visitor.
AI tools can also streamline checkout processes, requiring fewer inputs from customers, therefore providing a frictionless buying experience.
Visuals First: The First Byte is with the Eye
When it comes to user interface design, the main difference between mobile and desktop is understandably their screen size and orientation.
As only one product is typically viewable at a time on mobile, products listed further down in results pages naturally attract fewer views. This fact highlights the importance of sponsored product results for retailers to maintain a foothold at the top of results pages.
In addition, aligning product content with desirable search terms leads to strong organic discovery.
On mobile, the focus on imagery for key callouts is growing. For example, on the Amazon app, users need to scroll through all the images in order to reach the bullet point section.
This has prompted sellers to place infographics within the image carousel in order to highlight key product information. Though these images are not indexed in search, they are improving mobile conversion rates.
Seeing the benefits to their digital commerce operations.
Optimising your business for M-Commerce is unavoidable and needs to be approached correctly in order to be effective.
By creating device-agnostic omnichannel experiences, implementing AI-powered optimisations, enhancing product visuals, embracing the power of data, and investing in mobile operations, brands will see real benefits to their digital commerce operations.
Cameron Furmidge, Head of Insights, Luzern eCommerce
Cameron Furmidge, the Head of Insights at Luzern eCommerce, brings over 5 years of eCommerce expertise. His data proficiency and technical know-how enable the synthesis and clear presentation of analytical insights, benefiting both clients and the broader industry. Previously, as a Senior Analyst at Profitero, he enhanced data analysis and visualization using Python and BI software. Cameron excels in bridging customer and business needs, offering actionable, industry-wide insights.
