Commerce strategy changed rapidly for all sectors during Covid-19. From self-checkout, digital payments, virtual appointments, and more brands shifted to meet guidelines and ensure their customers felt safe. But now as the pandemic eases, what does the future hold for digital? Companies can respond by continually improving their digital experiences in order to hold on to their newly digital consumers. Customers loved the convenient and personalized online experiences that emerged during the pandemic, and with their introduction, we can expect those conveniences to continue driving buying decisions in all industries.One of the most important experiences that shows no signs of slowing down is that of mobile commerce (or m-commerce). Mobile commerce refers to the buying of services and goods via mobile devices. Likely you’ve already read all the data around the growth of both B2B and B2C m-commerce, which started well before the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to keep current customers and reach new buyers, it’s important to have a strategic plan that includes m-commerce and can quickly adapt to changing behaviors.
Optimizing your m-commerce
When it comes to our smart devices, we want everything expedited- including our purchasing journey. It is important to consider avenues to optimize your m-commerce site and consider if a mobile app fits into your overall strategy.
53% of visitors will abandon the mobile site if it takes more than three seconds to load
Your customer experience correlates closely with how fast your site or app is. This will be a continual task to work on because every second you can shave off will continue to benefit you. In fact, Google says this is so critical that you should allocate a ‘speed budget’ and have an entire strategy dedicated around how to always be improving your mobile site or app speed.While apps generally run faster than mobile websites because they are storing data locally on the smart device, they also pose some cons. Customers first need to decide they are willing to download and give the app space on their device, and even more use the app regularly. This offers a large window to abandon the purchase. You need to make sure your app experience is a rich and rewarding experience for the user in order to see long-term value in this option.Another option to consider is a progressive web app (PWA), which are in essence websites that function like apps. This means you get the benefits of the faster speeds, but the customer doesn’t have to visit the app store- simply by going to your website they are immersed in the PWA each and every time. Would you like help to optimize your m-commerce?Contact Us
Simplifying your m-commerce
Bottom line, anything unnecessary needs to be eliminated in m-commerce. The fewer steps to the final purchase equal higher conversion.
76% of customers use mobile devices to purchase because it saves time
Here are several successful ways to create a simplified m-commerce experience:
- Improved search: The search box is one of the top-used functions on any website. Having the ability to easily find, view, and buy the product your customer is interested in means creating a smart and visual search. With small screen spaces, the less text and more visual you can make your search the better off you will be. An example is Echidna’s client Jelly Belly, whose mobile-optimized website is deeply visual, including their search which is prominently displayed for easy use.
Focusing on their m-commerce strategy, Jelly Belly increased mobile sales by upwards of 300%.
- Swipes and thumbs: Smart devices have specific gestures we are all too familiar with from scrolling, swiping, and tapping. Utilizing these will increase the user-friendliness of your app or site. Button sizing and location will be critical to the customer journey, ensuring they are not too close together or located all on the top.
- Navigation: Deciding how to set up your information architecture is important. Carts with the number of products should be in view at all times, minimize or remove pop-ups altogether (they annoy your customer making them more likely to leave), and keep menus easily accessible.
- One-click checkout: The feature popularized by Amazon is becoming commonplace on mobile sites and apps. It requires shoppers to enter their payment information once so that they can use the one-click option to check out without having to re-enter it.
Consistent user experience
Having a strategy that includes creating a consistent experience across multiple channels (web, mobile, in-person, social) not only allows customers to make purchases that best fit their specific needs, but data from Salesforce also shows that 73% of customers will likely switch brands if they don’t get this. Several things to consider when mapping out a consistent user experience includes:
- Omnichannel: Extend your user experience across all your customer touchpoints by adding features such as location-based services, barcode scanning, and push notifications.
- Personalization: As personalization continues to be a key to creating an exceptional customer experience, consider using tailored and user-centric (even written!) content in m-commerce.
- Social commerce: With many customers either doing research or purchasing via social commerce, integrating key aspects of social media such as interactions and recommendations from others with the ability to vote, comment, and discuss before and after the purchase are becoming quickly popular. Furthermore, utilizing shoppable posts on social media sites allows your customers the option to make purchases without ever leaving the platform.
Is your brand well-positioned to grow its m-commerce channel?
Organizations have a multitude of options to choose from when it comes to growing their m-commerce channel. Deciding where to start and take your m-commerce strategy depends on your evaluating your business structure and strategy and digital maturity, as well as current skill set, resources, capabilities, and functionalities.
How Echidna Can Help
If you’re unsure of the next step to take or how to evaluate your options in m-commerce, reach out to Echidna to start a conversation. Echidna is a leading digital commerce agency with capabilities including strategy, creative, marketing, systems integration, technology services, and managed services. Our m-commerce experts will assist you in identifying a strategy that best fits your business in order to allow for scalable growth. We will help you execute your m-commerce strategy and remain committed to delivering top-notch quality on a predictable schedule and affordable rate that our clients recognize the real value in.Contact Us