Member Article

Actinic Online on mobile commerce

Nick Kington, MD of ecommerce software supplier, Actinic Online airs his views.

Online Retailers are you mobile ready?

Over the last few years there has been huge growth in adoption of mobile devices and in people using them to research and shop online. The mobile arena is currently the fastest changing ecommerce sector and all the indicators suggest that mobile ecommerce is about to really break through.

Research recently carried out by the IMRG and eDigital Research highlighted that 30% of tablet owners and 25% of smartphone owners have used their device to shop online and 14% of Google search queries now come from a mobile device. In addition eBays mobile commerce sales have far exceeded expectations and it has revised its estimate upwards for 2011.

So, what opportunities and challenges does the mobile commerce trend present for online retailers, large and small?

Understand your customer demographics: Firstly monitor what is going on with your ecommerce site. Depending on who you are targeting, mobile may be more or less important. So ask the questions, how many of MY customers want to buy using their mobile? Who are you trying to reach? Where and how are they visiting your website? What does the typical visitor do at your site?

Make sure your site is optimised for mobile use: The fact that many smartphones and tablets can browse the main web can be misleading. Even though its true, most sites with their wide screens and nice pictures arent suitable for mobiles due to screen size and slow connections. So consider having a compact design of your store which is optimised for mobiles.

Bear in mind that people viewing the site will be on the move so make sure it is as easy to use as possible. Offer the most appropriate information first, use concise language and avoid Flash or other complex objects that mobile devices may find difficult to manage.

Use your ecommerce software providers mobile app: Better still, make use of your ecommerce software providers mobile app. These will automatically redirect the visitor to the mobile version when the site is accessed from a mobile device. My company, Actinic Online, will be launching a mobile-ready app, early in 2012.

Catch any mobile payment trend: Keep up to speed with the new breed of payment services for making payments on mobile devices.

The evolution of mobile commerce has given online shoppers the opportunity to research, compare and purchase products on the move. They are now becoming much more savvy and taking advantage of all the tools at their disposal to shop in the way that works best for them. As an online retailer you should monitor and, if necessary, embrace mobile commerce so as not to miss out on the opportunity.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .