Why Today's Retailers Are Using Mobile to Increase Customer Engagement
By now, most retailers understand the importance of having an online presence. Unfortunately, too many of these companies are still underestimating the importance of mobile. It’s more than making your company website responsive on mobile devices. It means understanding mobile’s role in the buyer’s journey, from initial research to final purchase.
A few statistics compiled by Oberlo.com might shed some light:
- Almost 70% of internet users prefer to look at reviews on their phones than approach an in-store employee
- Over 50% of digital buyers shop on their mobile phones at least once a week
- 60% of shoppers say the option of mobile shopping is an important factor in brand selection
- Over half of the global web traffic is conducted on mobile devices
The data shows that most consumers—your customers—use their mobile devices at some point during their shopping experience. The data also indicates that a mobile-friendly buying experience is important in brand selection.
For instance, buyers are expecting to view user reviews, compare similar products, know how many items you have in inventory at the stores closest to them, view specifications, and be able to make their purchases using their mobile devices. Moreover, mobile apps allow you to personalize the buying experience by presenting customized offers, product suggestions, and coupons, making customers aware of special deals and events, and much more. Adding mobile as part of your omnichannel retail offering allows you to provide a more dynamic, interactive experience for your customers, keeping them engaged and coming back.
Understanding your customer’s needs is key
To capture your mobile clients’ attention requires understanding the type of shopping experience they want from you. This requires you to take a hard look at how your customers engage with you. It is essential to ensure the data collected from your mobile interactions is included with the information gained from your other sales channels so you can view each customer interaction throughout the sale.
Developing for mobile: Start small and keep it simple
Retailers new to the mobile space should keep things simple. Start small until you see what works and what doesn’t. Once you find success, add more to what you find works for you. The mobile experience needs to stay new. If the initiative ever becomes stale, it will die out quickly.
Another critical factor in designing for mobile is ensuring it is easy for you to measure the impact of your mobile initiatives. If you can obtain simple insights from the data, you can design creative solutions to engage and re-engage the customer.
Your mobile presence helps your company realign toward greater collaboration
You need to remain agile regardless of your specific mobile strategy. What used to be confined to individual departments is now blurred across multiple touchpoints. Data must be shared across these departments so that your organization can present a seamless customer experience. To meet customer expectations, the barriers between functional areas must be removed so departments can be more collaborative.
Ultimately, you need to understand what your customers want and offer that in the way they expect to experience it. No single solution will work for every retailer. You must determine who your customers are and deliver what they want to them.
How Does a Unified Platform and Omnichannel Retail System Work?
ArcherPoint’s experienced consultants can examine your pain points and offer solutions to transition your business to a unified retail software system. Schedule now for your retail strategy assessment with ArcherPoint today.