Why mobile shopping trends can’t be ignored

Consumers are increasingly using their mobile phone handsets for retail information and shopping purposes, according to a study conducted by ForeSee Results which examined ongoing trends in mobile shopping habits.

As part of a study of nearly 10,000 visitors to the biggest e-retail web sites in the United States (determined by revenue, according to Internet Retailer magazine), the company noted that mobile shopping trends during the annual holiday season could have year-long implications.

The study showed how customers' satisfaction with mobile websites and applications affects their future purchase intent, loyalty, and recommendations across all channels. For example:

• Shoppers are using mobile phones to access websites and apps more than ever before. Some 33% of respondents have used their phone to access a retailer website, and an additional 26% indicated they plan to access retailer websites or mobile apps by phone in the future.
 
• Mobile purchase behaviour is exploding. A total of 11% of web shoppers reported having made a purchase from their phones during the 2010 Christmas holiday season, compared to only 2% the previous year.
 
• Shoppers use their phones for a variety of tasks. The majority of shoppers who used their phones did so to compare price information (56%). Shoppers also used their phones to compare different products (46%), to look up product specifications (35%), and to view product reviews (27%).
 
• Shoppers use their phones to look at competitors' websites. While in physical stores, more than two-thirds of mobile shoppers (69%) used their phones to visit the store's own website, but nearly half (46%) also used their phones to access a competitor's website.
 
• Traditional websites satisfy shoppers more than mobile sites and apps. In general, shoppers rate their satisfaction with retail websites significantly higher (scoring 78 on the study's 100-point index scale) than their satisfaction with mobile apps and sites (scoring 75).
 
• Good experiences with mobile sites and apps have critical cross-channel impact. Shoppers who are highly satisfied with a mobile experience say they are 30% more likely to buy from that retailer online and 30% more likely to buy offline, as well as being far more likely to return to the main website, recommend it, and be loyal to the brand.