Retailers' sales suffering due to poor mobile usability

Although mobile users can browse, they often have difficulty completing online orders, according to the study from eCommerce consultancy dotCommerce. It found that half of dedicated mobile sites don’t load on Android and users could not complete purchase on a staggering 91% of sites with Blackberry.

And despite huge demand for mobile sales channels, only one third of retailers surveyed had dedicated mobile sites available, which the consultancy warns is dramatically impacting a positive buying experience.

The benchmark study analysed 12 leading UK retailers, using Blackberry, iPhone and Android devices. Each site was marked against 22 criteria across eight categories like ease of use, security and integration with other marketing. 

Although the retailers studies performed well on site navigation, suggesting that the fundamentals of the mobile experience are receiving most attention, the Checkout Process and Payment confirmation received average scores of only 27% and 22% respectively.

Ben Staveley, head of eCommerce at dotCommerc, said effort may prove futile if orders cannot be completed at these vital stages. “These findings paint a clear picture of the mobile challenge retailers must tackle today,” says. “Growing consumer expectations and a fiercely competitive market make this an area where getting left behind is a big risk and yet, a very real possibility.”

Boots and New Look scored the highest marks, demonstrating a clearer understanding of mobile shoppers’ requirements. Meanwhile, of the four retail categories we examined, fragrance brands showed the worst performance, making up three of the four poorest scoring brands versus footwear, cosmetics and cookware.

The report Hitting the Mobile Checkout can be downloaded at www.dotcommerce.co.uk/hittingthemobilecheckout

 

 

Overall %age satisfaction score     Retailer