Member Article

Are these common issues bothering your Customers?

Well, it won’t be wrong to say that retailers need to put a lot of efforts in order to offer mobile experiences desired by their customers. Marketing Charts had come up with a survey in 2016 which was based on 100,000 online shoppers, which revealed that a lot of people are still dealing with various issues when mobile shopping is concerned.

The survey said:

· 33% of respondents find retail mobile sites have serious usability issues (have to enlarge in order to click the right item on the page)

· 25% said admitted there were issues with page load speed and site performance

· 21% claim they were required to access the full site in order to access what they are looking for

Besides data security concerns, there were other issues as well in the form of small text, friction at checkout, small pictures, lack of product information, with all of them revolving around just one thing, i.e. user experience.

As it comes to retail landscape, experience matters the most in attracting and retaining customers. Thus, usability issues are a big concern as it comes to success, mainly as most customers expect retailers to provide a seamless experience on mobile.

Addressing User Experience Issues Through Apps

Earlier mobile websites were apt in offering great experiences when executed correctly, however now that has shifted towards native mobile app experiences. Retail Me Not survey shows that many shoppers opt for mobile apps as they provide way better experience as compared to mobile sites. Respondents state that in comparison to mobile sites, retail apps:

· Are more convenient (63%)

· Are faster (57%)

· Make the experience better by storing user settings (40%)

· Offer better benefits and rewards (31%)

Moreover, the highly rewarding millennial market shows their preference for apps, owing to their yearning for alluring and interactive experiences. A Forbes’ survey reveals that 54% of millennials like retail apps because the experience is better than mobile sites, and 27% use the apps to take advantage of exclusive offers, discounts, and rewards. With the assistance of demographic like millennials, apps tend to be a valuable medium for retail brands trying to reach them.

Better Experiences = Better ROI

By offering a great experience you don’t just benefit shoppers, as apps tend to be also hugely lucrative for retailers, who have succeeded in efficiently penetrate the market.

If we consider the scenario of today, then apps generated around half of all mobile sales for those retailers, who felt that their app experience was primary. Furthermore, apps drive more in-store visits and also results in higher-value baskets as compared to their web counterparts. Report from App Annie stated that “mobile apps are a critical platform for retailers to continue to invest in to engage their most loyal customers, drive stronger sales, and deliver a more frictionless experience than the web.”

Offer the Desirable Experience to Your Users

It’s necessary that mobile apps have utmost focus on the customer by adding value, eliminating friction points and offering the best shopping experience. You can develop Version 1 of your retail app considering these aspects:

· Provide a personalized experience

· Use recommendation engines to offer relevant product suggestions to shoppers

· Integrate loyalty programs to reward customers and encourage more purchases

· Help your customers save money with coupons, promotions, and special offers

· Streamline payments to eliminate friction points in the path to purchase

· Add features and functionality aimed at improving the in-store experience

As you start collecting user data from shoppers active on the app, you can enhance and refine later iterations of the app based on your users’ preferences and behavior. By setting KPIs for your app, you can collect, analyze and act upon data to guide the direction of later product versions.

Now it’s quite obvious that nowadays consumers demand a lot more from their shopping experiences and the growth in retail app usage and thus apps have become a vital part of retailers’ omni-channel strategies. Companies need to start having users in mind while focusing on offering an experience that adds values, eliminates friction and efficiently engages users.

Keep visiting this space in order to collect more information regarding the arena of mobile shopping.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Octal Info Solution Limited .