Smartphone Shopping Is Top Priority For Retailers

When it comes to shopping, retailers won’t underestimate the power of the smartphone. A new report shows that the mobile device plays a role in 67 percent of online sales, leading many retailers to invest in improving their customers’ experiences on their mobile devices.

According to a report by Forrester Research, smartphones influenced more than two-thirds of online retail sales in 2016. So, it should come as no surprise that mobile-based improvements are the top goals for retailers, with 68 percent saying they plan to increase their spending specifically on smartphone initiatives this year.

Based on an Oct. 2016 study of 74 retailers, the report shows that 54 percent of the retailers generate at least half of their sales from physical stores, 21 percent are web-only retailers or primarily web-only retailers and 12 percent are multichannel retailers that generate an equal amount of sales both online and in stores. The rest are made up of catalog retailers and brand manufacturers.

With 42 percent more consumers buying something on a phone than a tablet in 2016, retailers are making sure their businesses are smartphone-ready for the coming year. The top initiatives that retailers are focusing on, according to Internet Retailer, include improving browsing and researching products, mobile payment options, product or store reviews, mobile-optimized email and store locater and info.

Fiona Swerdlow, vice president of research at Forrester, said that retailers would be smart to focus on projects that keep the lines of communication open with customers at all times, including push notifications via an app or SMS.

“Obsess about your customers, not your mCommerce numbers, or you’ll wind up with a tiny keyhole view of a much bigger and more intricate picture of how your customers actually use digital to interact with and buy from you,” Swerdlow wrote.