It’s undeniable that mobile use is up in the e-commerce realm. People are using their trusty handheld devices to browse, but also increasingly to actually buy products. The desktop is no longer the automatic default; people are reaching for their phones to do research and complete transactions on the go.
Learning more about the factors driving mobile growth in e-commerce will help your store stay ahead of the curve by providing shoppers with a great mobile experience to augment your desktop interface.
Smartphone Use Is Rising
Approximately 35 percent of U.S. adults said they owned a smartphone in 2011. This figure rose to 77 percent. In 2017. As Pew Research notes, this makes smartphones “one of the most quickly adopted consumer technologies in recent history.”
The first consumers to adopt smartphones were typically younger and affluent. But as time goes on, smartphones are becoming more accessible and more affordable for a wider range of people.
Furthermore, many people are now required to carry a smartphone as part of their job function. Bring-Your-Own-Device policies either encourage employees to purchase and utilize a personal mobile device at work or supply them with a complementary model. This means more people are getting used to integrating smartphones into their daily routines.
More Available Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi is all around us, and it’s become more of an expectation than a perk. For example, the chances of getting Wi-Fi on a plane in 2015 were around 74 percent. In 2017, Wi-Fi was available for 83 percent of seats on U.S. airline flights. Increasingly, people can shop even as they hurtle through the atmosphere at 400 miles per hour.
It’s now a common social courtesy for people to provide their Wi-Fi network name and password to visitors. Restaurants, cafes, airports, and laundromats increasingly offer free or cheap Wi-Fi to patrons. People can now travel between Wi-Fit hotspots as they go about their days. And, all of this ready internet access allows people to shop on the go.
Mobile-Friendly Platforms
Conducting an enterprise e-commerce platform comparison reveals the importance of choosing a mobile-friendly platform in today’s e-commerce world. Responsiveness is key. Mobile sites are much more than smaller copies of desktop sites. Rather, they feature unique navigation and design to aid customers in shopping on smartphones and tablets. Larger fonts, clickable buttons, and simplified navigation boost the mobile user experience. If you are looking for expertise to build a truly mobile-optimized e-commerce platform, it may be wise to hire ecommerce developers who specialize in creating seamless mobile shopping experiences.
Here are a few other strategies for making your e-commerce website as mobile-friendly as possible:
- Prioritize quick load times (a few seconds or less)
- Offer secure payment methods for mobile, like Apple Pay and PayPal
- Autofill fields to help users fill out forms faster
- Allow mobile users to check out as a guest
Better Dedicated Apps
E-commerce stores should strive to provide a great customer experience whether a mobile user chooses to check out using a mobile browser or a dedicated app. But more brands are turning toward apps to drive conversions, reward loyalty, and enforce branding. Your app should integrate seamlessly with your online store, offering people an even more straightforward way to learn about your company and buy your goods.
One major advantage of using an app over the mobile browser is the ability to send push notifications to remind customers about promotions, launches and limited-time offers. Another is the ability to aggregate your company’s content in one convenient place, including how-to videos and blog posts. Long story short: Offering an app allows your store to create the ultimate branded one-stop-shop for mobile users.
These factors are driving mobile growth in e-commerce. Is your store capitalizing on the rise in the prevalence of mobile shopping? If not, it’s time to start.
By Sakshi Kaushik
Content Writer
A passionate writer and tech lover, she strives to share her expertise with mobile app developers and fellow tech enthusiasts. During her moments away from the keyboard, she relishes delving into thriller narratives, immersing herself in diverse realms.
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