It’s been thirty years now since the first cell phone debuted, weighing in at a mere 2 lbs and costing an affordable $4,000. And, believe it or not, it’s been nearly 10 years since consumers coveted the ultra-slim flip-phone physique of the Motorola Razr.
Today, the mobile landscape continues to evolve at an ever increasing clip, with smartphone and tablet usage quickly eclipsing that of desktop. To put it in perspective, time spent on mobile devices has nearly tripled just since 2011 (eMarketer), and 44% of adult consumers over 35 now visit websites on their smartphones on a weekly basis (Experian).
However, while mobile usage accounted for 21% of all Internet usage last year, mobile purchases only resulted in 15% of online commerce (Smart Insights), revealing that while mcommerce is on the up-and-up, brands are still missing out on opportunities to reach, engage and convert mobile users. In fact, only 3% of mobile shopping carts make it through checkout – that’s 1/10 the number of desktop conversions!
In the age of the connected consumer, it’s no longer enough to be “mobile friendly.” To stay relevant, marketers must start taking their mobile efforts to the next level and driving customer acquisition and revenue via mobile channels and devices. Here are 3 strategies for optimizing your site or app for mobile shopping cart conversions.
Ditch the cookie data.
20-25% of adults visit websites from 4 different devices each week (Experian), yet traditional cookies are not able to track and aggregate consumer activity and identity across multiple channels. Marketers relying on cookie data will have an increasingly limited and fragmented view of their customers, forcing them to market to anonymous user segments.
Social login allows consumers to login using their existing social media accounts across all devices, effectively unifying cross-channel user identity and enabling marketers to build more accurate and complete user profiles. Social login also gives marketers permission-based access to insightful social data that enables them to create more relevant user experiences across devices.
Think beyond responsive design.
Making sure that your site maintains the same level of functionality across mobile devices as on desktop has become status quo. Marketers looking to stay ahead of the curve must go beyond re-creating desktop experiences and find ways to amplify them to reach consumers with hyper-relevant, real-time messaging via mobile.
Leverage social login data to create immersive, integrated user experiences that bridge channels, devices, and digital and real world experiences. For example, allow consumers to take mobile photos of in-store items and add them to their profile favorites, like Dick’s Sporting Good’s Gift Locker. Or, try an SMS campaign that texts customers coupons for products that match their social media interests.
Convert with touch, not type.
The average mobile checkout process requires 24+ steps, causing the majority of consumers to either abandon their carts or checkout as guests, rendering them anonymous. Simplifying and streamlining the conversion process from registration through checkout is key in increasing mobile customer acquisition and shopping cart conversions.
Enable users to login to your site via payment providers like PayPal and Amazon, and pre-populate checkout fields with their stored payment information. Allowing users to “Buy with Google Wallet” reduces the checkout process to a simple, secure, two-tap process for millions of Google users, significantly decreasing shopping cart abandons and benefiting both brands and consumers.
Ready or not, the mobile commerce revolution is upon us. Don’t become a 2 lb, $4,000 memory – take advantage of the latest social technologies and solutions to effectively connect closer with mobile consumers.
To learn more about how you can increase mobile customer acquisition and shopping cart conversions, register for our free webinar with Steven Klebe, Head of Business Development for Google Instant Buy.