Dart’s data: the m-commerce issue

Mounting evidence suggests that more and more of us are shopping online using our mobile phone and yet it is estimated that two-fifths of UK businesses are failing to collect any mobile data.

According to a study by ecommerce agency Screen Pages mobile devices now account for 20.8 percent of all traffic, more than doubling from 10.3 percent in the past nine months. The research, all based on traffic to websites on the Magento ecommerce platform that have not been optimised for mobile devices, also found that 84.5 percent of all mobile visits are from Apple devices and that iPad usage has increased to 54.9 percent from 46.4 percent. The study also found that iPad shoppers buy more, with an average conversion of 3 percent against 2.8 percent for the websites overall.

But despite this, UK businesses are in danger of missing out on the multibillion pound mobile commerce boom. A report by Experian revealed that at least 40 percent of UK businesses currently fail to collect any mobile data at all. Those that do, take a varied approach to ensuring its accuracy with only 27 percent regularly checking their mobile data--a number lagging well behind the US where more than a third of organisations validate their data regularly.

There’s an app for that…
If you’re embarking on your mobile journey, you’re probably considering whether your brand needs an app. Take heed. According to a report by Webcredible, a user experience agency, UK consumers use only four mobile apps regularly, of which journey planning, searching for locations, booking tickets or finding voucher deals are the most frequently used apps.

The study points out that 40 percent of respondents had used location-sensitive apps from their phones, while 90 percent used their phones to get quick, necessary shopping tasks done when they were commuting. None of the participants said they would make an expensive purchase, such as a laptop or car, on their phones, instead preferring to use a PC to view bigger images and none would engage in grocery shopping from their phones; citing the small screen making the process tedious and time-consuming.

Of the female participants, 90 percent had installed apps that had been recommended to them by friends or family with 100 percent saying they window shop from their phones, but would only rarely buy fashion items, preferring to make these purchases on a PC where they could appreciate details such as fabric and colour. However, 20 percent of respondents said they would buy something from their phones that they had previously seen in-store.

So before jumping on the bandwagon with an app or mobile site, spend time really considering what your customers want to see.--JD

Related articles:
•    Online shopping trends around the world
•    Dart’s data--the mobile issue
•    Half of European smartphone owners shop using their phone
•    Why you can’t afford to ignore smartphone users any longer