The mobile channel’s contribution to retail sales rose from 3.4% to 6.5% between October 2010 and April 2011, according to studies by Coremetrics. Even though mobile purchases are a fraction
of overall sales, consumers increasingly use their mobile devices to research purchases before buying elsewhere, suggesting that the importance of retail mobile websites is only growing.
According to a recent Limelight Networks survey of consumers who self-identified as owning a smartphone or tablet owners, and using that mobile device to research and/or purchase products online,
80% said they typically abandon a mobile site if the shopping experience isn’t up to par.
Three quarters of those who abandon the site said they are likely to return later on a computer,
says the report. However, about one quarter said they prefer to seek out a different site to continue shopping. In addition, roughly 20% of total respondents said they aren’t likely to
abandon a mobile site in the middle of shopping, but that they are likely to avoid a poor-performing mobile site in the future.
Mobile Site Abandonment |
Condition | % of Respondents |
Abandon experience on internet-connected mobile device and return to the site at a later date using
computer | 62% |
Complete research and/or purchase using internet-connected mobile device and never return
to the site in the future | 20% |
Abandon experience and immediately seek alternative brands using mobile
device | 18% |
Source: Limelight Networks, November 2011 |
Criteria that are important for defining a positive mobile shopping experience according to the respondents:
- 88% ranked the time it takes for the site to load or
appear on the screen as extremely important or important
- 88% ranked providing detailed product images on the site (for example, “zoom in” product photography or
product videos) as extremely important or important
- 82% ranked mobile site optimization, or how the site appropriately fits the screen (for example, no side-to-side
scrolling), as extremely important or important
These numbers suggest that expectations for the mobile shopping experience are beginning to mirror expectations on a desktop
computer. There is no mobile web as far as consumers are concerned. There is only the web. And it has to perform well.
Among the smartphone owners surveyed, 67.4% have used their
device to shop online;
- 83% of those have researched and purchased a product on a shopping site using their Internet-connected mobile device.
- 17% have
simply researched products on a shopping site using their Internet-connected mobile device.
34% of those who use Internet-connected mobile devices to research and
purchase products on shopping sites purchase once every 1-2 months or very often (more than once a week), while 33% purchase occasionally (once every 3-6 months).
Considering which features
help make their mobile shopping experiences favorable, the study found that smartphone users said loading time, zooming on product, video and fit the screen without scrolling.
Importance of Features When Shopping and Researching on a Mobile Device (% of respondents) |
Feature | Not Important | Somewhat Important | Extremely/Very Important |
Time it takes for
the site to load or appear on the screen | 1% | 11% | 88% |
The site appropriately fits my screen (no scrolling) | 2 | 16 | 82 |
The site provides detailed product images (eg: zoom) | 1 | 11 | 88 |
Source: Limelight Networks, November
2011 |
For additional information, please
visit Limelight here.