Smartphones are Changing the E-Commerce Landscape
…and grows to compete with laptop notebooks and desktop computers.
According to Alex Matjanec of Marketingprofs.com, 50% of mobile phone users in the United States own smartphones. More and more users are also using their phones to make purchases online. Twenty-three percent of users go online for shopping in 2010; by 2012, it grew to 35% and is anticipated to get as high as 43% in 2015. Profits coming from smartphone use are expected to be as much as $10 billion dollars.
Why are smartphones becoming more popular? It must be the visually appealing styles or the amazing yet amusing touch-screen capabilities. There are also loads of features and applications in smartphone nowadays. You can call and send messages, connect to the Internet and do some ‘window shopping,’ play music, take a picture, view simple office documents and more. With its dizzying range of features, smartphones are successful in claiming a growing share of the market.
Mobile-only users are increasing all over the globe. The charm of a multi-function phone that allows Internet connection opens up a wide horizon of possibilities. E-commerce sales continue to soar with the incoming trend of shoppers using their mobile phones to transact the sale. What does this mean for retailers generating business online?
Neilsen, international media measurement and analysis company, gives the answers:
Studying the data shown, consumers use their smartphones to easily find the lowest prices while shopping. What retailers can do is to:
1. Optimize website for mobile phone users.
2. Make it easy for site visitors to immediately see the product inventory and the price as soon as the home page loads.
3. Show short and catchy product descriptions to help entice customers to browse around.
4. Allow customers to write product reviews, but always monitor what they encode. Address negative feedback immediately. Flag inappropriate content such as spam comments and reviews.
5. Show web coupons and discounts exclusively for smartphone users on the right-hand side.
6. Rehaul the website for secure and user-friendly e-commerce transactions.
7. Upload an interactive map that gives directions to users on how to go to your store’s physical location.
8. Place your businesses on online maps and check-in apps like Google Places, Foursquare, Shopkick and more.
Technology keeps up with the flow of time. As years go by, mobile phones become more advanced, followed by tablet computers. There might come an era when everyone can live with just tablets and phones as their gadgets. For retailers, it’s important to cope with the upcoming innovative trends in the Internet and technology pioneered by industry leaders and competitors. If we fail to do so, we’ll be left in the dust.
References:
Image Taken From: