M-commerce has been the driving force behind the stupendous growth of e-commerce in recent years. With 79% of online buyers choosing their smartphones to complete a purchase, this hardly comes as a surprise.
Undeniably the small screen has big perks for online businesses of every scale. Not only it has opened the most rewarding sales channel, but it also presents a host of new and smarter ways to grow the business. The sheer growth in the value of mobile orders which multiplied 7X from 2015 to 2018 is an indicator of the huge possibilities in this domain. (Source: Statista)
No wonder the etailers are realizing that they need to have a solid mobile presence not only to grow their business but also to keep their customers happy and loyal.
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Why M-Commerce is the Key to Success
Let’s accept it! Our smartphones are our closest companions, so much so that we treat them as an extension of ourselves. Our whole world unfolds on the 5.5-inch screen. This is the first thing we catch hold of as soon as we wake and keep checking it between 55-100 times throughout a day!
Yes, smartphones are the universal addiction and e-commerce is one of its biggest beneficiaries!
Smartphones are bringing about seismic changes in the way business is perceived and done online. Optimizing your website for the small screen is no longer a choice but a question of survival. In a few years from now, M-commerce is going to be the gold standard of doing business online.
This business model not only keeps you ahead of the competition but also ensures that you sail smoothly towards success in the times to come.
Wondering why you need to go the mobile route ASAP? Here are the reasons;
Mobile Is Where Customers Are
No points for guessing this!
We know it by now that not only the millennials but also Gen X is on their mobile all the time. What’s even more encouraging is that the Baby Boomers are also warming up towards etail and frequently indulge in grocery, travel and healthcare shopping on their smartphones.
Simply put, customers across generations are giving in to the simplicity and ease of shopping online with their smart devices.
Preferred Medium to Search Brands
Well, tell me when was the last time you searched for a product on a bigger device like a desktop or laptop? Can’t remember, right?
More than 50% of online buyers use their mobile devices to search and discover a new brand or product. Also by 2020, about 70% of B2B search queries will be done from a mobile device. This obvious preference is also giving a boost to m-commerce.
Smooth Shopping Experience
We know that mobile buyers are a different lot. They keep checking for products and services throughout the day without actually buying stuff that frequently. There is a constant comparison going on in their minds and if your brand cannot offer a smooth mobile experience you have lost it to your competitors.
A seamless mobile experience makes you their favourite and they keep coming back for more.
Big Ticket Orders On The Go
Mobile users are known to redeem more coupons and buy bigger orders. No wonder there is a direct connection between m-commerce and higher sales which leads to rapid business growth.
If optimizing your site for mobile gives you better chances at selling, wouldn’t you grab the opportunity with all your might?
Informed Purchase, Happy Customer
Shopping on smartphones is a lot easier as mobile sites make it quicker to compare products and place an order on the go. Also, one can easily connect with friends on Facebook, Twitter or WhatsApp to get an opinion or review of the product.
This makes mobile buyers a happier and satisfied customer that eventually helps retain them and grow business
Better Marketing ROI
M-commerce gives a better understanding of customer behaviour and helps in real-time marketing with unified notifications. The personalized marketing gently pushes the buyers towards fast checkout and impulse buying increasing the overall revenue.
Also, customer retargeting is easier on mobiles as your buyers are more frequently surfing various apps on their smartphones.
Mobile Sites Are Loved By Google
Since 2015, Google gives mobile-friendly sites a better SERP ranking. Simply put if you have a mobile optimized site you have better chances to get more organic traffic and hence increased sales volume.
This also helps in planning better SEO strategies, which give quick results and make you visible for all possible natural searches increasing your chances of conversion.
Better Brand Recall With an M-commerce Site
Customers remember a bad mobile experience for long. Statistics suggest that 52% of customers leave a site that gives them a poor mobile experience. At the same time, a site with a good mobile experience creates better brand recall and keeps getting more customers.
If you have good navigation, good product search and overall a good UI/UX on mobile you keep getting more customers and create a brand value rapidly.
How to Go About Creating A Website That Is Ready For M-commerce?
Well, the benefits of having a mobile-ready site are numerous. To ride the next wave of e-commerce every etailer should not only create a mobile website but create a mobile first website instead.
Wondering how are the two different?
Usually, the approach taken by businesses is to get a website built and then gradually try to make changes to it to make it mobile friendly and responsive. But in a mobile-first approach, the design and layout are first made for the small screen and then it is worked up to fit various screens and devices.
Mobile-first approach makes it easier to win the M-commerce battle as your whole business is developed with mobile users at its core.
Online Shopping Apps or Mobile Web: What’s The Way To Go?
When we think of creating mobile sites, there are two ways popular to achieve it,
(i) Create a mobile website
(ii) Build the iOS and Android App
Both these have their relative merits and help the etailers pull mobile traffic for their business. Native mobile apps are known for their convenience, ease of use, speed and personalised user experience. However, they need dedicated effort to build various versions for Android and iOS and approval from the respective regulatory authorities.
A mobile website, on the other hand, does not need this kind of approval and also does not take up space on the device. It’s relatively more cost-effective, easier to maintain and has a wider reach.
New Age M-Commerce With PWA(Progressive Web Apps)
While both these methods have their pros and cons, there is a third approach to build mobile websites that combines the goodness of both these approaches. This approach uses PWA(Progressive Web Apps) to create hybrid mobile apps which are basically mobile websites that look, feel and work like native apps on all devices.
PWA has many benefits for online business which include;
- Faster and more engaging sites
- Functionality to add to the home screen like a mobile app
- ZERO space on mobile devices
- Works on a poor connection as well as offline mode
- Secure and reliable as sites always served over HTTPS
- User-friendly and less intrusive than mobile apps
- Easily discoverable and sharable by users
- Allows to send notifications in real-time
- Lightweight architecture saves user’s internet data
- Universal access with cross-browser compatibility
- Cost-effective as no additional development cost involved
Online businesses that have used PWA to tap the benefits of M-commerce have registered significant growth in terms of penetrating new markets as well as acquiring new customers. Some of the significant benefits reported after using PWA are;
- Up to 60% reduction in site load time
- 100% increase in conversion rate from new users
- 3X increase in revenue
- Higher open-rate for notifications
- Reduced bounce rate and higher site engagement
- Increased cart recovery for incomplete checkout
- More orders from conventionally inaccessible markets
How to build your Mobile Commerce Website Easily with StoreHippo
StoreHippo has always been ahead of trends and worked to offer new age solutions that give businesses a head start. All the stores powered by StoreHippo are PWA and by just changing a few settings your online store can start to work as a mobile app.
With PWA stores you can unlock the real potential for your business in the M-commerce arena and start monetizing the benefits of growing mobile traffic and improved customer engagement.
Conclusion
In the fierce online battlefield, just having a good product and business plan is not sufficient to give merchants a competitive edge. It is imperative to be future- ready using the latest technology and being abreast with the dynamics and changes of the online market.
M-Commerce is the future and to reap the benefits you need to adopt the technology and tools that create a future-ready mobile store.
Ready to rule the new wave of e-commerce with a next-generation mobile store?
StoreHippo is there to give a technological edge to your plans. Just drop us a mail at [email protected] or leave a comment below and we will help you find the best way to launch your mobile website.
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