Mobile Shoppers Prefer Mobile Web Sites to Apps

Despite retailers’ desire to move people to their native apps, most mobile shoppers prefer going to their mobile Web sites. A new study from Siteworx shows that 65.7% of people surveyed prefer using the Web site to downloading an app specifically for the retailer. The survey also found that product reviews were the key driver behind people making purchases after using their mobile device for shopping. Price comparisons were the next most popular driver of purchase activity.

Supporting other recent findings, this survey also found that the tablet has become a place where people are more eager to buy than on their smartphone. During the holiday season, 18.6% of tablet owners said they made a purchase using their device, in contrast to 12.8% of smartphone owners.

The survey found that apps still serve a function, but people need a specific reason to download them for a retailer. The survey found that special offers were among the most important things that lead people to download an app, followed by browsing faster than the Web site or gaining specific loyalty benefits.

It’s all about the product when it comes to mobile applications and Web sites for retailers. Among mobile users, 39.9% said they were checking out product reviews on mobile devices and 39.1% said they were browsing related products.

While some aspects of the survey seem to discourage the view of smartphones of purchasing devices, in fact, more than half the people surveyed said that during the month of December they had made at least one purchase on their cell phone and 30.7% said they made 2 to 3 purchases on their cell phone.

Overall, ease of use and ease of finding and comparing products seem to be the leading factor in people’s satisfaction with their mobile apps and mobile Web sites. It almost goes without saying that any retailer needs a native mobile Web site or responsive design for mobile access. But Siteworx also recommends that designers focus on specific mobile features that highlight products and product images and streamline the process of purchase and finding products. The Siteworx survey is based on over 5000 responses across the various questions asked of users about their mobile shopping habits during the month of December 2012. The full report is available at the site.

The tension between mobile Web sites and apps continues. This survey reinforces the idea that most people are bringing their Web habits onto their devices and often are using search as the means to get to a particular Web site or simply typing in a Web address. They need a good reason to download an app.

Siteworx suggests that features like large product images and product reviews are essential to the mobile shopping experience. But we only have to look at some of the more successful mobile shopping apps from retailers like Walgreens, for instance. As their head of digital platforms, Rich Lesperance explained at our OMMA Mobile at SXSW, the app pulls customers in with a core killer feature — the prescription refill function that lets you snap a picture of your prescription bottle and get a refill automatically from the drugstore.

Convenience matters. And retailers that find that central convenience touchpoint in their consumers gives users a reason to download an app as well as a reason for the user to remember that the app is there.

To get your mobile website, click here or call us at 615.398.9932 today!

Vincere Web Design Team

The Importance of Having a Mobile Website

Just how important are mobile websites for businesses? According to a study done by Yahoo!, 52% of mobile users won’t even engage with a brand that delivers a poor mobile experience.

The number of users accessing the web on their mobile devices has dramatically increased over the years, and mobile optimization can increase sales, generate more traffic and boost customer engagement. Having a mobile website will give you a huge edge over your competitors who do not.

Mobile users are now using their phones the same way that they used to use their computers, so making the experience similar is very important. Some things to consider to make your mobile website as user friendly as possible are to make sure your site looks nice on all types of mobile devices and that it loads as quickly as possible. Most mobile users will give up if your website takes more than 5 seconds to load. Businesses should also try not to use Flash content and keep videos and photos to a minimum, as these things will tend to slow down mobile websites.

A major thing affected by whether or not your website is mobile is the shopping experience your visitors receive. A recent survey done by Google found that shoppers are more likely to buy a product or service if your site is optimized for mobile use. Also, three fourths of these people said they are more likely to return to a website in the future if the experience on their mobile device is good.

On the other hand, most people said that if they can’t find what they’re looking for because your website isn’t mobile, they would rather go to a competitor’s mobile site instead of switching to a PC to buy from your website.

A bad mobile experience can also hurt your brand. Nearly half the people surveyed said they felt frustrated and annoyed when a website wasn’t mobile friendly and that a poor mobile experience makes them less likely to engage with the business in the future.

If you’re ready to build a mobile website there are actually 2 types of sites for you to choose from: a responsive website and a completely separate mobile website. A responsive website scales down your website depending on what device the user is looking at the site on. This way no areas of your website will be hidden when being looked at a smaller device, such as a tablet or smartphone. The content on the desktop version of the site is exactly the same as you see on the mobile version. A mobile website is an entirely separate website built on a subdomain made specifically for mobile viewing. This type of website does not look exactly like the full website and may not have all the content of your desktop site, but it increases conversion (sales).

If you’re still not convinced that a mobile website is the way to go, Google also found that 1 in 5 users are influenced by a company’s mobile website, whether it be to call, visit or make a purchase. It was also found that in 2013, the number of mobile internet users will exceed the number of desktop users. The truth is that if you don’t do something to make your website accessible from mobile devices soon, you might be at risk of losing a lot of customers in the future.

To get started with your mobile site visit our site, email us, or give us a call at 615.398.9932. 

Vincere Web Design Team