Mobile commerce (or mCommerce) is a snippet of the broader category of eCommerce. The origins of eCommerce were primarily associated with buying via desktop computers, and later laptops. With the development of technology and changing consumer habits - increasingly strong emphasis has shifted to mobile devices. Mobile commerce is now an extremely important aspect of pro-customer activities. More and more people appreciate the convenience of shopping anytime and anywhere.
mCommerce vs eCommerce
According to the Gemius report, in 2020 as many as 73% of Poles were shopping online, and 69% declared that they were buying using mobile devices. This is extremely optimistic data for all those who are convinced that mCommerce is not just a temporary trend, but an important part of consumer behavior.
The last year has proved to most companies that it is necessary to invest in eCommerce solutions. In today's text we will try to convince that it is worth to focus especially on a smaller, mobile segment of the industry. For over a year of pandemic we have learned to do shopping without leaving home. Today, security issues are not as urgent in the customers' minds, but the convenience and speed of online shopping has certainly made its mark forever.
Online shopping has become accessible to groups that were previously skeptical or excluded from emerging technologies. Increasingly older consumers do well online, but are more likely to choose larger devices - desktops and laptops. So who is responsible for mCommerce growth? According to a Gemius report, people under 24 years of age are the most likely to choose smartphone payments. The freedom of using new technologies, better visibility (smaller screen and letters can be a big obstacle for people 50+), but also the design of apps make mCommerce predominantly created for younger people. However, it is worth the effort to broaden this group through good, inclusive user experience design. What should you pay attention to when implementing mobile Commerce?
- comfortable, intuitive site menu, which facilitates moving between categories and product pages,
- filter layout adapted to mobile devices,
- a search engine in a visible place - it is responsible for efficient navigation and makes finding a product easier,
- bigger size of buttons for adding to the cart, but also for choosing product parameters,
- design using all available space, but without overloading with content.
Important data in this context is presented in the report Omni commerce 2021: Kupuję wygodnie of the Polish Chamber of Commerce. We can read there that "23% of Internet users using mobile devices started the shopping process on a mobile phone, but did not finish it. The most common reason for this is distraction, but also an inconvenient shopping process on a mobile device". When implementing mobile commerce, we need to take into account the user experience and design the mobile application in such a way that the subsequent steps - from product selection to order completion - are as short as possible and combine convenience with design aesthetics.
mCommerce - trend 2021 roku
Many reports, including the aforementioned Omni commerce 2021: I Buy Conveniently, show a slight decline in mCommerce shopping popularity rates in 2020 compared to 2019. However, this is due to a pandemic situation. Many of us spent the lockdown period primarily at home, and this encouraged the use of larger devices, primarily laptops. However, experts agree that mobile commerce will be an important trend this year and in future years. This is confirmed by data from the Hootsuite Digital 2021 report:
- 96% of internet users have mobile phones,
- About 70% of mobile users use shopping apps.
It is the development of mobile applications that is worth monitoring. The importance of social commerce is growing strongly. Facebook Shops, TikTok's cooperation with Shopify, facilitating shopping on Instagram, and in the near future also on Pinterest - these actions clearly show that buying from the level of social media is going to become everyday life and will become even easier.
Other solutions for mobile apps that make mCommerce grow stronger are, of course, VR and AR, voice shopping, as well as technologies like PWA or the latest innovation - Flutter. We also can't forget about such important moves as shortening the payment path and in general - better, faster and more secure digital payments.
The report of Izba Gospodarki Elektronicznej shows that the product categories most frequently chosen by mobile device users are fashion, electronics and home equipment as well as beauty. Another conclusion from the publication is that Poles are becoming more pragmatic in their shopping - so it is worth including dedicated offers for mobile shoppers in your sales and marketing plan. An important conclusion for those considering the implementation or continuation of mCommerce activities is that most people participating in the IGE study want to maintain spending in the mobile channel in the near future.
In summary, what are the benefits of a good mCommerce implementation?
- positive image of the brand open to different groups of customers,
- increase in the number of buyers,
- increase in sales - especially among younger customers,
- increased customer loyalty,
- higher conversion and less abandoned shopping carts.
