Mobile devices ceased to be the younger brother of eCommerce to establish itself as the fastest-growing channel. Mobile electronic commerce ceased to be something exotic or a promise to become a palpable reality and the fastest-growing channel in online commerce. Mobile participation in total global e-commerce grew 17% year-on-year, accounting for more than a third of operations (from 30 to 35%). This is the most recent report by Criteo, the results marketing technology company that analyzes 1.5 billion daily online transactions in 85 countries from all types of devices and platforms.
But the most advanced retailers in e-commerce almost doubled that growth, reaching up to 30%, thus raising their percentage of mobile participation from 40% to 52%. Moreover, Criteo speaks of a “turning point” in the field of electronic commerce, since in some countries (such as Japan and the United Kingdom) half of all online sales are already completed through phones and tablets. People can buy anything online @ greatestthink.com; laptops, smartphones, and many more.
All the power to apps
This mobile success is based on something so brief and quick to mention that it almost sounds like a magic word: app. Mobile applications are today the real queens of electronic commerce. From them, more sales are generated (and of greater value), higher conversion and fidelity rates than from PCs and notebooks (the “desktop”, which held the scepter until now) or from the mobile web.
The Criteo report reveals four key aspects whereby apps manifest themselves as the new stars of electronic commerce:
By using the apps, more sales are specified
In the previous Criteo report, mobile sales from browsers accounted for 53% of the total, leaving the remaining 47% at the hands of apps. In a year, this relationship was practically reversed: today 54% of operations are carried out via applications, against 46% carried out via browser. This situation occurs, it is worth remembering, in a context where mobile sales grew by 17% year-on-year, so apps remain with a larger portion of a volume, in turn, larger.
Apps can specify more valuable sales
Criteo’s analysis reveals another interesting fact regarding the photo from a year ago: in the last twelve months, the average “desktop” sale remained at the US $ 100, the average mobile sale via browser contracted (from 98 to 91), while the average ticket for mobile sales through apps grew strongly from the US $ 95 to the US $ 127. Thus, the applications dethroned the “desktop,” the once king of the most valuable sales.
Apps generate more loyal users
As important as achieving a customer is maintaining it. That key business slogan is made closer by the apps. The Criteo report indicates that its users are twice as likely to return within the next 30 days as browser users. Greater retention means a better opportunity for the creation of more loyal consumers.
Apps are more effective throughout the entire purchase process
The so-called “purchase funnel” (all the stages that a client goes through until the conversion is effectively completed) is more “passable” for application users, that is, there is less chance that an app user will abandon the process in some of its stages than the others. Finally, the conversion rate (the number of buyers who completed a transaction) for application users, triple that of mobile browser users.
Commerce or retail activities that have been concerned with optimizing their mobile shopping experience with the development of an application that facilitates the process are better positioned than their competition to add their clientele to the growing and active community of mobile buyers. Those who have not yet done so should seek efforts to provide this audience with a truly continuous mobile and multi-device experience that allows them to interact with users regardless of where they are throughout the purchase process.
