The growth of M-commerce will further increase in the coming years. The use of smartphones and tablets for online shopping is expected to reach the same level as desktop and laptop within 5 years - if not more. The rise of M-commerce is a boat that online retailers cannot afford to miss. However, retailers are currently focusing on the wrong development: mobile apps. I am convinced that the growth of M-commerce is driven by the increase in mobile internet traffic and not by the availability of special shopping apps.
According to the latest figures from the M-commerce Monitor, the number of consumers shopping online via smartphone or tablet in the second half of 2012 grew to 1.7 million Dutch mobile shoppers. This is an increase of 73% compared to the same period in 2011. Research from ShopPad shows that the Netherlands is even among the 'top tablet shopping countries'. According to the M-commerce Monitor, the increase is currently mostly in the sales of mobile software (app and music downloads), but I expect that other segments such as clothing and shoes will also take off in the coming period. App is more cumbersome. When shopping online, convenience is the most important factor. Consumers want to shop in the simplest way, anytime and anywhere, via tablet or smartphone. There should be as few actions as possible prior to the sale. Downloading an app is an extra action that makes it cumbersome for the shopper. Especially compared to the increasingly 'simpler' browsing via the mobile web. What then is the advantage of an app? The browser has the future, not the app. I also believe that the increase in M-commerce comes via the browser, as this is the easiest. Therefore, online retailers would be wiser to invest in a webshop that is optimized for mobile browsers. Figures from an American study, conducted by research agency Nielsen, support this trend. It appears that 51% of American consumers use the mobile web to make online purchases, compared to 28% who buy via apps (from among others Amazon and eBay). According to another study from Flurry, mobile shopping - within the retail segment - via apps is not even visible on the 'radar'. Only 5% of the time spent on mobile buying occurs within this 'other' category. This trend is also visible in the Netherlands. Online shopping traffic via special apps does not have a future when it comes to serving the mobile shopper. I think the mobile shopper does not want to have 20 shopping apps on their device. With the press of a button. I believe that mobile shopping should primarily be simple. Of course, without sacrificing safety. This also applies to the payment part. This too should be as quick and simple as possible to thus increase conversion. Whether one is on the train, in the car, or in a café, online shoppers always want to easily select a product and pay, so cater to that!Source: Marketingfacts
