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Web and AppsConsumers are more comfortable with mobile commerce
By Lisa Lacy
|
February 23, 2018
Consumers have clearly warmed to the idea of making transactions on their phones.
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Mobile’s influence on shopping behavior has been on the rise since the advent of the smartphone, but recent data indicates consumers are becoming more comfortable finalizing transactions on their phones.
In fact, Forrester’s 2018 Retail Best Practices: Mobile Web study found smartphones will be used in over one-third—or more than $1 trillion—of total U.S. retail sales at some point in the process of buying something in 2018, including research, price comparisons and purchases.
And, according to data from Google Analytics from June to September 2017, over 40 percent of online transactions were made on mobile devices. Further, 46 percent of respondents in a December 2017 study from Google and consulting firm Heart+Mind Strategies said they prefer to use their smartphones for the entire purchase process.
In 2012, U.S. consumers spent $7.8 billion in retail purchases on their smartphones, according to Forrester data. By 2016, this figure had grown to $60.2 billion and Forrester anticipates it will reach $93.5 billion in 2018—and $175.4 billion in 2022.
These figures are a clear sign consumers have warmed to the idea of making purchases on their phones. That, however, puts even more pressure on brands to improve their mobile and/or app experiences, which, in turn, are shifting the nature of brand loyalty. If consumers’ shopping expectations aren’t met, they will go elsewhere.
For example, Google research showed that 73 percent of consumers will switch from a poorly designed mobile site to an alternative mobile site that makes purchasing easier. And two-thirds of smartphone users are more likely to purchase from brands whose mobile sites or apps personalize the experience based on their location, such as displaying a nearby store where a product is in stock.
Consumers use mobile search in particular to find advice about the brands they should buy and for more details about specific products. In fact, Google found mobile searches containing the word “brands” increased over 80 percent from 2015 to 2017, and mobile searches for “top or best X brands” increased over 95 percent.
In addition, Google data shows more than 150 percent growth from 2015 to 2017 on mobile in searches ending with “to avoid”—as in “olive oil brands to avoid,” “refrigerator brands to avoid” or “tire brands to avoid.” The study also found more than 80 percent growth in searches on mobile for “is X worth it.”
And, Google said, shoppers are increasingly turning to mobile for inspiration. In that same two-year period, there was a 55 percent increase in mobile searches for “ideas”—“$25 gift ideas,” “outfit ideas,” “bathroom remodel ideas”—and a 150 percent increase in mobile searches for shopping lists.
But, like in-store shopping and traditional ecommerce
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