Think back to the last online purchase you made. How exactly did the process go? Maybe you did some initial investigating on your smartphone on your way to work, followed by some deeper research on your computer at lunch, and then finally made the purchase via your laptop or tablet that evening. If this pattern sounds familiar, you’re not alone.
According to Google’s Mobile Planet report, 73 per cent of users research a product or service on their device before making buying decisions yet only 39 per cent have made a purchase on their phone, with the rest reserving that step for another device.
The Challenge
With all of these different platforms in play -- not to mention the fact that one shopper could be using multiple devices in the same purchasing cycle –managing the online shopping experience has become increasingly challenging. To date, many retailers struggle to develop an integrated multi-platform strategy that addresses these 21st century omnichannel shopping patterns. However, as mobile proliferation continues, retailers must reexamine their omnichannel management tactics to properly address the next generation of online purchasing and deliver the seamless experience that consumers demand.
Syncing Up
The big issue for online retailers right now is how to efficiently create, manage and publish rich engaging content across all channels, ensuring that customers’ purchasing experiences remain synched even if more than one channel is used to make a purchase. This has so far proven to be a slow, frustrating task for web and marketing teams, as content creation and publishing tools have not kept pace with the times.
This is changing, however, with design methodologies such as responsive web design, supported by rich-media content management, creation and publishing systems that enable digital publishing across all devices and in all formats -- from promotional campaign carousels and media through to advanced interactive online catalogs, epublications and interactive video-based promotions.
This ability to deliver a synchronized customer experience at every touch-point helps retailers maintain complete control over their brand and ensure a seamless buying experience for customers, which ultimately helps boost conversions. Think about it – being able to easily resume your shopping from your laptop after conducting initial research on your smartphone is a far more pleasant experience than having to begin from square one on the new device. The ability to provide that ease of use and multi-channel functionality will be a game-changer in the coming year, and retailers that take steps to achieve it now are more likely to see increased positive conversions in the new online shopping environment.
2014 will be the year that retailers must get serious about how they manage the fragmented consumer journey through different devices. Those that don’t will fail to deliver an effective customer experience and will be less likely to capitalize on the growing mobile purchasing trend.
By James Brooke, CEO at Amplience.
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