Retailers Need a Mobile Centric Strategy

According to a report from comScore, mobile devices have overtaken desktops and laptops in getting a majority of buyer’s time during online mobile shopping. Interesting thing to know is that mobile devices are not primarily used for making purchase, but for the most common pre-shopping activities such as:

1. Finding directions to the store

2. Finding opening hours

3. Making price comparisons

4. Checking product reviews.

If you want to know how shoppers are using their mobile devices for shopping activities, have a look at the info-graph below from Google's Retail Advertising Blog: 

Source: Google Retail Advertising Blog

It makes it imperative for retailers to have a comprehensive mobile business strategy, addressing all the above activities, which ultimately lead to the purchase. Though it can be challenging for retailers to adopt a consumer centric multi-channel approach, because a typical purchase journey can span multiple devices, as given in the example below:  

Desktop: The buyer searches for a TV online, and saves a couple of items in her shopping cart.

Tablet: Next day, while sitting in a local café, she goes through the items in her basket, and decides she wants the 42” screen TV from Samsung. She compares the price at different stores and finds that it is cheapest at the M&S store. She clicks on the link and taken to the retailer’s website. She scans the QR code displayed next to the product and buys it. She gets the e-receipt on her phone.

Smartphone: She heads out to collect her TV from the store. She looks for direction to the M&S store on her phone. Inside the store, she scans the e-receipt at the self-checkout kiosk, collects the TV, and steps out without waiting in the queue.

There are key elements to laying out a mobile centric strategy:

1.     A mobile optimized site, which would offer an optimum user experience, considering the limited real estate.

2.     A mechanism to track the consumer and her state across multiple devices, to provide a consistent and seamless experience.

3.     A quick online checkout process. Minimum time from Browsing to Buying. This means no registration, and a 1-click payment process.

4.     A mobile loyalty program, to reward the consumer at the point of purchase.

5.     And finally, a mobile centric marketing strategy.

These may look obvious in terms of benefit to a retailer, yet 50% of UK retailers don’t even have a mobile site.

As more and more people migrate to their iPhone and iPad, it will become mandatory for retailers to have a well-defined mobile strategy, to compete effectively in this mobile dominated world.