It may come as a major shock to all retailers who have invested so much time and money in improving the mobile experience of their online stores, but a new report from Forrester shows a significant drop in mobile sales despite overall growth in U.S. e-commerce.
The survey, based on a sample of 50,000 adults in the U.S. and 6,000 in Canada, concluded that in 2017 only 36% of online sales came from mobile devices, compared to 43% in 2016. E-commerce grew 14% during this period.
When asked why, 51% of participants said it is easier to shop on a computer than on a cell phone, while 46% said they are already accustomed to using a computer, and 30% said the screen is too small.
Many may think that this preference for large screens is a behavior of older consumers, but the survey's lead analyst and head of E-business Strategy, Sucharita Kodali, described that this behavior is more pronounced among younger consumers, with at least one-third of young people using larger devices such as school computers, Chromebooks, and family members' computers. Very few households in the U.S. do not have a computer.
82% of adults access the internet daily via laptops and desktops, compared to 65% who access it via cell phones. Let's be clear: accessing social media or messaging apps does not mean browsing the internet.
On the other hand, one of the reasons mobile sales conversion is declining is that only a few online stores offer mobile payments, and when they do, few consumers use them. Many websites require filling out numerous fields, registration, personal information, etc., and digital wallets such as PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Wallet have not yet become widespread enough.
Conclusion
Online retailers need to understand this reality and behavior to help their operations and efforts in providing a better experience for their customers. Does this mean we no longer need to invest as much in the mobile experience? NO! The mobile device is the consumer's primary point of contact with your brand, and the browsing experience is essential to support other channels and screens. Try creating a streamlined login system where the customer can build a mobile cart and complete their purchase from the comfort of their large screen, or build customer loyalty by tokenizing their credit card and offering one-click purchasing.
Source: https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/318846/m-commerce-declines-we-still-love-big-screens.html
