M-commerce: the new leader in electronic commerce

Lockdowns have drastically shifted the way consumers interact with mobile and accelerated the move toward m-commerce, eclipsing previous years’ predictions.

As restrictions have progressively eased throughout 2021 in many markets, mobile e-commerce has once again shown its strength, with installs and sessions increasing impressively, according to the E-commerce App Report 2021.

Following an impressive 2020, m-commerce has emerged as the leader in e-commerce this year. By the end of 2021, 54% of total e-commerce sales are predicted to come from mobile, and global mobile e-commerce sales are set to hit $3.56 trillion, up 22% from 2020.

When it comes to navigating this highly competitive space, marketers and developers need to focus on creating convenient and seamless cross-device experiences, and on successfully incentivising and retaining their users. The global mobile coupon industry, for example, is expected to grow at a CAGR of 56.5% by 2025.

“The e-commerce vertical has experienced immense growth since the start of the pandemic. It hasn’t just been about new users turning to mobile to shop and make purchases, the kind of services people require from mobile has also changed,” says Paul H. Müller, Co-Founder and CEO, Adjust.

“What’s most impressive is that even as shops slowly open up globally, e-commerce apps have managed to hang onto the users acquired while continuing to grow and acquire even more new customers. It’s a testament to the longevity and robust nature of the business models, and how successful they are in providing customers with convenient and user-optimized experiences.”

While much of the shift to m-commerce can be attributed to demand and pandemic-related necessity, developers have continuously improved, diversified, and expanded the reach and potential of their apps.

The changes to user acquisition (UA) brought about by iOS 14.5+ and Apple’s App Tracking Transparency (ATT) framework have also changed the way e-commerce marketers on iOS approach their UA and user experience strategies, optimising toward the opt-in but also learning to work with SKAdNetwork, conversion values, and an ecosystem with less granular data.

The popularity of m-commerce apps is soaring, and it’s the marketers and developers who can best identify and successfully acquire high-quality and loyal users that will continue to reap the benefits.

The report equips advertisers with the metrics required to make smart decisions about campaign spend and budget allocation.

Social commerce

Social commerce has established itself as a major player in the e-commerce and m-commerce industries as shopping and checkout capabilities continuously improve.

Platforms such as TikTok (which has partnered with Shopify), Instagram, SnapChat, and Twitter have all introduced new shopping features to expose platform users to products and create paths for them to make direct purchases.

One of the major drivers of social commerce growth is short-form video, of which TikTok is the undisputed leader. With 1 billion active users, the platform recently ran a live streaming test with Walmart, where viewers could click through to purchase any items mentioned during the stream.

A recent report by 5W Public Relations also found that 28% of users on TikTok had bought something advertised to them on the platform at least once.

Conversational AI

In 2020, approximately 7% of connected device owners in the US (20 million people) made a purchase using a voice assistant, a number which has nearly doubled in the last two years and is expected to grow over the coming years. And according to data from Salesforce, chatbot usage has increased 67% between 2018 and 2020.

Gamification

Two of the key challenges for e-commerce apps are abandoned carts and customer loyalty — both of which are increasingly being addressed with gamification, a marketing tactic that increases engagement by encouraging participation and offering rewards.

Popular methods include trivia, spin-the-wheel functions, or scavenger hunt games like Burger King’s “Whopper Detour,” where customers/players within 600 feet of a McDonald’s could receive a 1 cent whopper by downloading the Burger King app and ordering within one hour. The campaign resulted in 1.5 million downloads.

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