Year of the Mobile Part VII: This time it’s for real, says study!

Consumers are increasingly turning to their mobile to browse and purchase goods online as mcommerce is now becoming more accepted than ever.  

The latest study into consumer mobile behaviour, this time from Stibo Systems, revealed that purchases made from mobiles have risen by 19% in the last year to reach 59% - twice as much as the previous year.

The proliferation of tablet devices is one reason for this trend with one in five consumers now using a tablet to shop online – up from only 5% in 2012, the figures showed. Tablet and smartphone growth is to the detriment of laptop usage, which was shown to fall six points since 2012.

And retailers appear to be responding to consumer demands for a mobile channel. The study of 2,000 smartphone and tablet users showed that that a third of respondents rated their mobile commerce experience as either excellent (10%) or good (21%) – up from 25% in 2012.

However, despite this growth in mobile retail, Stibo Systems advised that are still challenges to overcome if marketers are going to fully take advantage of the mobile opportunity. Almost half (48%) of consumers complained that the screen was too small to satisfactorily read product information, and a similar number (46%) lacked trust in the security of their device.

Behaviours within mobile usage were also shown to have changed since last year with almost half (46%) of respondents – twice as many as last year – saying they always or regularly use it to review a product prior to purchase.

Mark Thorpe, UK managing director at Stibo Systems, said: “Although every year is hailed as the ‘year of the mobile’, there is sufficient evidence in these results to demonstrate that mobile is now a legitimate channel for retailers, particularly with the recent rapid adoption of tablet devices. 

“In order to maximise its benefits, retailers should now pay full attention to mobile commerce, not only to ensure a satisfactory customer experience, but also to meet expectations and avoid disappointment, and the resulting lost sales that this may lead to.”

Forrester analyst Jennifer Wise recently explained the importance of understanding what mobile tactics are right for your brand.

She said: “‘Mobile marketing’ isn’t just a single tactic or channel — mobile is an access point to experiences and an enabler of new marketing pathways.”