By 2024, more than half of purchases are expected to be made online from a mobile device, and mobile commerce will reach $620.97 billion in volume, so paying attention to the mobile buying process is important for your website.
What is Mobile Commerce?
It is also known as mobile electronic commerce or m-commerce, it refers to the process of completing an online purchase transaction through a mobile device, this is also a facet of e-commerce since any purchase made through a smartphone or tablet is considered mobile commerce. Here we can see some examples of mobile commerce:
- Making a purchase
- Social commerce
- Mobile banking
- Mobile payments/transactions
- Mobile ticketing
- In-app purchasing
- Marketplace apps
Key mobile commerce statistics
Here are some statistics to help you better understand how important mobile commerce is in 2022:
- About 77% of adults in the United States own a smartphone and 53% own a tablet, both of which are potential customers.
- Nearly a third of US internet users used their mobile device to make a purchase each week in 2021.
- Mobile devices accounted for 58.99% of web traffic in Q2 2022.
- Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 51% of people in the United States have downloaded at least one shopping app on their smartphone.
- 21% of device users access retail shopping apps multiple times per day and 35% access them multiple times per week.
- About 49% of Americans have used a shopping app to compare prices.
Pros and cons of mobile commerce
It is important to consider the benefits and obstacles that mobile commerce can have, it is also important to evaluate them and how to make mobile commerce work in a good way for your company and brand.
Pros:
There are several benefits and advantages associated with mobile commerce that can help your customers have a better shopping experience.
Convenience
In the United States, on average, a person checks their cell phone about 344 times a day, or about every four minutes, so it is a very good option and quite convenient that customers can access purchases from an application or website.
Instant gratification
To see why instant gratification is so important, take the example of the “Amazon Effect” which is a phenomenon that works well thanks to the frictionless shopping experience it has created and its free two-day shipping. Keep in mind that many small businesses can’t afford shipping like Amazon does, however they can offer their customers a good, fast and easy shopping experience.
Improved customer experience
Taking into account the devices that your customers use will be a better way to give them a much better experience and that they continue buying and also that they do not need to adapt their buying habits to the business.
More payment options
You can use payment services like Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, Google Pay, Amazon Pay, PayPal Express and Visa Checkout, and even Shop Pay, not just having the option of credit or debit card.
Cons:
At the moment, mobile commerce can be a bit complicated as it is very new, and it can be difficult to offer a good experience.
Continuous optimization
It is important to keep your website or mobile application updated and optimized as technologies are always changing to improve user experiences and the same goes for mobile commerce. And for example, Shopify is a great way to make sure your website is always up to date.
Long load time
Another important part to take into account is the loading time of your application or website, since if a page takes longer to load from a mobile device than a desktop device, it can cause sales to decrease from mobile commerce.
Mobile commerce trends to pay attention to
You must ensure that your page offers a good experience to your customers and that your brand remains relevant by staying on top of mobile commerce trends.
The rise of mobile apps
Online shopping became more common during and after the pandemic, with a 49% increase in the use of apps for shopping. This was thanks to the apps being easier and faster to use and being exclusive for use on mobile devices, for example, the clothing store SHEIN recorded record usage during the pandemic with its app.
One-click checkout
The information that you have saved when you make a purchase from a web page on your computer or mobile device, which facilitates and helps the buyer to complete the transaction with just one click, an example of this option is found with Shop Pay from Shopify.
Social commerce
We can find social commerce in social apps and networks like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest and Snapchat and more recently Twitter as this commerce is network based. The online stores and catalogs published in the profiles of your social networks help a lot to promote the products that you offer, using for example the Metaverse of social networks you can configure that users can see your products more easily, for example there is DressUp store, they uses this way of social commerce for their Instagram.
Chatbots
This option is used to improve customer service and customer experiences on your website, likewise a chatbot can help make it easier to pay for purchases on your website or app via a mobile device, chatbots also contribute with social commerce on your social networks.
Personalized recommendations
One of the most important parts in sales and purchases is that they are personalized, this has been proven to help customers have a better experience when they make a purchase and making personalized recommendations to your customers is a key point, and for example, if the customer is using their mobile device, they are less likely to browse through your entire catalog, so help with personalized recommendations is a great option.
5 Ways to increase your mobile commerce sales
These five ways can help you with the mobile commerce experience so your customers can buy your products again.
1. Ensure your website is mobile optimized
For this step, you must take into account that the changes you make on your website are reflected correctly from the desktop and mobile device, as well as the fonts are adequate and can be seen on any screen, just like the images; keep an eye on page load time on any device; also choose a responsive theme for your online store.
2. Shorten your checkout process
Payment options such as Shop Pay, either express or one-click payment makes it much easier for the mobile commerce option as well and can also offer several payment options for the customer to choose the one that suits them best.
3. Create your own mobile app or PWA
Mobile applications are a great option, although it is often difficult and expensive especially for small companies, however you can try progressive web applications, also known as PWA, these are easier to develop and cheaper too and often they are created with HTML5 and JavaScript.
4. Build an omnichannel customer experience
To create an omnichannel customer experience you can offer coupons in your mobile app; allow users to track purchases; have a cohesive messaging strategy across desktop and mobile meetups; and also have accounts accessible on desktop and mobile browsers/apps.
5. Focus on social commerce and chatbots
Almost all social networks offer you the option of social commerce, which you can take advantage of to increase your sales, likewise investing in a chatbot that can connect to your Facebook and Instagram Messengers is a great option to generate a more satisfactory experience for your customers.
Pay attention to mobile commerce
This form of commerce is not a passing trend, it is estimated that it will continue to grow, you can manage your business and sales from your mobile device which also makes it easier for your customers to purchase products, you can also use the option of Shopify’s mobile tools to learn and increase mobile sales.