Consumers are expected to spend £87 billion online in 2013 – with mobile access to websites continuing to grow. Mobile sales showed a staggering 304% rise in 2012, while smartphone users are now spending twice as much time using mobile internet as they are making calls. (IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index)
The Support for Independent Retail campaign has partnered with the mobile commerce specialists at MoPowered to explain a little more about changing consumer trends and how mobile commerce is helping to revolutionise shopping.
For retailers to survive in the current trading environment, it is crucial that they are easily accessible online with transactional, touchscreen-friendly ecommerce websites that can be browsed and purchased from by all mobile and tablet devices that access the internet.
With six out of ten UK adults now using smartphones and mobile commerce sales having received a huge 304% increase in 2012, a mobile commerce website is an essential selling tool for retailers as consumer confidence rises in completing a shopping experience via mobile. Furthermore tablet sales will outstrip PC sales in 2013, forcing retailers to also think about the user experience on larger touchscreens.
With busy commuters unable to get to local shops during working hours, and with extended trading hours often not being an ideal option for smaller businesses due to high staffing costs, a key way to capture the tech-savvy, high-spending consumer audience is to have a solid online presence for PCs, tablets and smartphones.
Online retail sales exceeded expectations in 2012, with 17.5% year-on-year growth, and some online businesses are seeing up to 20% of their traffic come from mobile devices. Retailers must make sure they can effectively convert the traffic they receive from mobile devices into sales – or risk losing that profit to a competitor who can convert on mobile.
Clare Rayner, The Retail Champion and founder of the Support for Independent Retail campaign says: “Retailers need to change, and quickly, to meet consumer expectations. Those with money to spend are time poor and technology savvy. If they find what they want and can’t buy it there and then, they simply buy from an alternative provider who can sell via mobile.”
“Small retailers who want to compete in the new mobile-enabled world need to ensure they’re as able to deliver the customer experience that consumers have come to expect as any of the bigger players.”
To further support Independent retailers in “going mobile” – a free downloadable guide to going mobile: Retailer’s Guide to Going Mobile
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