Mobile use continues to rise with recent data from Mintel showing that 41% of consumers are now shopping via smartphones and 35% via tablets. Our multi-screening habits are only getting stronger, with Brits regularly using up to 5 digital devices at the same time. One of the biggest shopping days of the year, Black Friday, happened earlier this month, and in the US 34% of all revenue generated came from mobile devices and 56% of website visitors accessed e-commerce sites via mobile.

Cyber Monday saw a boost this year due to increased mobile traffic in the US, which accounted for 41.2% of all online traffic, up 30.1% from 2013. Mobile sales were strong, reaching 22% of total Cyber Monday online sales but what’s interesting is that while smartphones drove mobile traffic, tablets led the way in mobile sales, further highlighting our multi-device usage. These trends are more prevalent in the US, but are quickly making their way across the Atlantic. Shopping has now become an event that consumers take with them wherever they go.

And it’s not just the high street that needs to take notice of mobile. A recent study from Mintel shows that around 14% of holidaymakers book their trips using a smartphone or tablet. Those who start research less than a week before booking are twice as likely to book via mobile, so travel brands need to leverage this correlation between impulsiveness and the mobile channel. Despite laptops and desktops still being the most popular booking channels, it’s only a matter of time before mobile catches up, especially as tablet ownership continues to rise.

So despite this growing trend to shop via a mobile device, why is it that some retailers are still offering a clunky and difficult to use mobile experience? Slow checkout processes that ask for too much information, have persistent errors, or are confusing are barriers that are deterring shoppers from following through with mobile purchases. We believe 2015 will be the year where m-commerce will start to demand its own platform, with brands offering their customers a bespoke, mobile-only solution. Companies like MoPowered have placed focus on this area, with brands like Next and Jewson already seeing the benefits.

And with the rise in m-commerce, naturally there is a demand for viable mobile payment solutions. Although uptake has been slow, in-store capabilities and loyalty programs are making transactions frictionless, so we’ll see a big push on this next year.

Security fears are holding the market back, but Apple Pay for example, offers users a variety of mobile payment options without the need to carry credit cards and claims to offer a much more secure method of payment, where card and identity details remain completely anonymous. Other options like Zapp are already making headway in this field, by linking your mobile phone directly to your bank account, enabling for easy payment solutions. And this is the natural progression, as more consumers are now relying on mobile banking as a solution to their everyday banking needs. Data from Kantar shows that a bank that offers a good mobile app solution is now a reason for consumers to switch, highlighting just how important this has become.

However, retailers can take matters into their own hands and offer a bespoke mobile payment solution tied into an existing, successful loyalty scheme. Boots, for example, launched a new transactional app in July 2014 with a strong focus on its Advantage Card Scheme. In the same vein, Starbucks revealed in March 2014 that 14% of its US in-store payments now came via its mobile app, with users liking the fact that they can simply swipe their phones to pay and the app is tied to their Starbucks Rewards scheme.

In essence, 2015 will see brands placing mobile at the top of their digital strategy, with retailers offering bespoke mobile only m-commerce solutions and payment options to drive sales and loyalty.

 

By Fast Web Media. 

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