M-commerce – the trend that online retailers cannot afford to miss, with more than 25% of the world’s population (1.6 billion) soon using their mobile phones to make purchases. With the ever increasing rise of m-commerce users, it is vital that all online businesses, big and small, know how to use and adapt their online content in the best way, to suit its target audiences.
As an advancement of e-commerce, mobile commerce enables customers to buy and sell goods or services from almost anywhere, by using a handheld device, with mobile shopping now available through optimised websites, apps and even social media.
It’s certainly not replacing e-commerce, but a larger proportion of online sales is now coming from mobile devices. Recent trends show that online shopping via a desktop and laptop has decreased by 15% in 2018, compared to smartphone transactions, which have doubled; it’s clear that more people are shopping for convenience, on the go.
This online medium is an integral part of the future strategy for businesses looking to drive sales and ROI, but many simply aren’t aware of how their content must change and be tailored to mobile and the ever-demanding needs of consumers.
The age of m-commerce
M-commerce not only offers consumers a better overall experience through an app or website, but it provides a truly omni-channel experience. It also has phenomenal future growth potential as more online businesses will see more than 50% of traffic coming through mobile devices.
The rise of digital has given consumers more choice, channels, purchasing control and marketing influence than ever before, which subsequently means their demands have reached a new level that businesses are having to adapt to, if they are to mitigate the risk of losing sales.
Businesses are having to provide more personalised, convenient and compelling digital shopping experiences for its consumers, to stay ahead of the competition and drive increased sales. Many businesses would’ve already adopted mcommerce into its retail strategy, with it offering a quick, easy and more accessible way of shopping, but with consumer demand changing all the time, it can be difficult for businesses to maintain and keep their mobile content fresh and adaptable.
Flexible content
User-friendly interfaces, flexible purchasing functionality and customised content are some of the factors businesses need to be considering to take advantage of m-commerce’s rise. With mobile being one of the most powerful forms of purchase for consumers, ensuring that content is flexible and can be quickly accessed on every platform, is vital.
Businesses need a fluid, end-to-end solution that will be able to change as fast as the ecommerce environment; there are many providers available to activate content. One of the biggest things to for retailers to consider is the loading speed of the website or app. On average, global retail websites between Black Friday 2017 and January 3rd 2018 were visually complete and ready to use in 2.5 seconds, further exceeding expectations, with 64% of smartphone users expecting pages to load in less than 4 seconds.
In a study by Shopify, 67% of mobile users said they were more likely to buy a product or service when the site is mobile-friendly, proving that a strong mobile commerce offering is essential. For retailers to ensure their content is ready and suitable for the rise of m-commerce, some best practice points can be adhered to, ensuring a streamlined process for both business and consumer.
Maximising mobile
Taking into account the fast-paced lifestyle that has derived from the digital revolution, businesses should be looking to implement these simple and basic practices to stay ahead of the competition, building a seamless, efficient mobile commerce offering.
- Be careful and concise: By making sure descriptions are short and to the point, it will be easier for a retailer’s consumers to engage with the business and its offering. It is essential to highlight the best features and selling points that you want to get across.
- Be different: It can be a challenge to stand out in a saturated market, with every business wanting to appear to be offering something different. Make sure you have an eye-catching logo and are placing your unique selling points on a pedestal for the world of mobile to see.
- Be legible: Offering legible content is key, but by trying to manage hundreds of different SKUs on multiple platforms it can be hard to keep track. Your content should be flexible and suitable for all different platforms and mobile devices, not just Apple or Android devices, even if they do have 70% of the market share.
- Be influential: Arguably the most important factor to commerce is photography, influencing purchase decisions, thoughts and opinions. Photos help consumers to understand and visualise exactly what they’re getting, so be sure to stick to mobile view guidelines and offer your consumers the best, high-quality imagery.
Many e-commerce content management platforms offer a streamlined, end-to-end solution that helps a business manage its online content for both desktop and mobile. These platforms can ensure businesses’ content will be flexible and streamlined across several multimedia platforms around the world.
A recent report from eMarketer has predicted that m-commerce in the UK will rise to be worth more than £42 billion in 2018, and account for 45% of e-commerce sales, compared to 43% in 2017. To ensure your business competes with the competition, adapting your content for mobile commerce will help empower your consumers, streamlining the process for both parties, ultimately helping to generate more future sales.
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