Introduction
Presently, the eCommerce industry has been growing rapidly around the world, causing heads to rise in the retail industry globally. Brick-and-mortar store operations have been affected and many companies across the world are trying to strike a balance between the optimal number of physical stores and the time and investment needed in starting an eCommerce venture. What is more striking is that Mobile commerce is catching up compared to eCommerce shopping via desktops. M-commerce, or mobile commerce, refers to purchasing and selling goods and services using wireless handheld devices like smartphones and tablets. It’s a kind of eCommerce that lets users shop online without needing a desktop computer.
The age of the desktop
It can rightly be said that the device that introduced the world to eCommerce has been the desktop. However, the desktop is being left behind and now mobile devices are making their mark. Thus, the biggest growth year for mobile shopping has been 2014, when it was discovered by mobile analytics platform Flurry that mobile app usage grew by 76%. Additionally, shopping apps sessions using iOS and Android increased by a humongous 174% when the figures were compared year on year on year basis.
The growing need for a mobile presence
A wide spectrum of retail businesses are realizing the need of having an easy-to-access presence on mobile Therefore, it does not come in as much of a surprise that mobile use for eCommerce shopping is growing exponentially and that its rise has been meteoric in the current times.
This is confirmed by a recent report, which states that around 60% of all retail sales in the USA will be made via a mobile device such as a laptop, mobile, or other mobile device. Today, the number of smartphone users in the USA has increased tremendously. At present, the number of U.S. mobile shoppers is around 111 million, and this figure is also increasing meteorically since recent times. So, in what ways are mobiles contributing to this meteoric rise in eCommerce? Lets find out:
- 1. As most of us might have noticed, the number of mobile apps has increased and so has the number of smartphone users. The rapid explosion of online shopping apps has made retailers think about one question frequently – about how retail owners will cope with this massive growth. This entails that the retailer need to adapt to the constantly expanding audience.
- 2. Thus, it can be said with a high degree of certainty that the desktop is taking a backseat when it comes to eCommerce shopping. In 2015, many eCommerce pundits predict that tablets will outsell PCs as well as laptops for the first time. This will mark the end of transition period in which mobiles will become a dominant device when it comes to purchasing online. Thus, mobile is indeed becoming the leading platform for shopping.
- 3. Nevertheless, there exists still a group of consumers that avoid using mobiles to actually make purchases from retailers. According to a research by eConsultancy, it was discovered that twenty three percent of respondents used their mobiles to open mails and browse offers from eCommerce stores, but make purchases from their desktop at home.
- 4. Many studies including that by BI intelligence now confirm that mobile commerce is dominating all other forms of mobile revenue growth. Also, not long ago, it was difficult to shop on a mobile phone, as websites tended to be specifically designed for desktops and not designed for smaller screens. However, the mobile experience has become simpler today, and shoppers can now purchase with ease using mobiles.
- 5. Also, according to Google, brands who do not have a mobile or responsive website stand to be penalized by Google, while those sites that provide a mobile-friendly experience to searches on mobile devices will stand to benefit and those will not be demoted.
What is actually needed
So now when businesses go mobile, owners and administrators will need to consider whether to build a mobile app, a mobile site, or both. Now as phablets and wearables are emerging, these must be included as part of the online strategy for mobile commerce.
Moreover, omnichannel retailing is also changing the face of the market. Thus, while the shopper might be in-store, they might be still searching for the products they like on the mobile devices they carry with them to view prices, alternatives, and other competitor sites where they could buy the same stuff.
Hence, it can be confirmed that the mobile-first mindset, which has been imbibed by a large section of the mobile-savvy population needs to be accepted by the eCommerce site owners and administrators as well.
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Minal Joshi is a content marketer at Krish with a flair for eCommerce and Digital Commerce aspects. She is a MarTech fanatic with a knack of writing with which, she helps brands to curate, create, & commence digital brand positioning. Sharing insights via articles, case studies, eBooks, Infographics, and other forms of content creation is what she lives for. Being an ardent traveler, when not writing, you'll find her sipping coffee into the mountains or petting a stray.
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Mobile Marketing in eCommerce
10 March, 2023 Customers are commanding a different experience. It hinges on mobile. The device is not the future of marketing, it’s the present. Today, the customer journey often begins and ends on a smartphone. So, as a marketer, it’s your job to engage with your customers on their choice of device. Marketers can’t ignore the surge in M-Commerce, as consumers command an experience that rests on mobile optimization. Brands need to prioritize the mobile marketing in their eCommerce strategies.
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