Tag Archives: mobile shopping

Mar 26 2013

Mcommerce expected to double in coming year

Summary: New research has predicted mobile spending will double over the next year.

As consumers continue to look for more innovative way to purchase goods over the internet, mobile shopping has become more popular than ever.

New research commissioned by eBay and carried out by Conlumino has discovered mobile spending could more than double over the next year, a fact which is sure to resonate with retailers worldwide.

According to the survey, mcommerce has already increased in demand by 55 per cent from a year ago, but this figure looks set to be exceeded by future gains.

In addition, it was revealed universal 4G coverage – which will be made available to almost all (98 per cent) of consumers in the UK – is expected to arrive at some point in the next 12 months and this could add £1.8 million to the British economy.

Olivier Ropars, senior director of mcommerce at eBay Europe, said what consumers are looking for at the present time is convenience and speed.

He noted: “The arrival of universal 4G will bring with it a more immersive, instant and intimate shopping experience than ever before. Retailers must act now to turn this opportunity into an exciting reality.”

With every day that passes, it becomes more evident just how crucial the mobile channel is to interacting with the public and retaining more customers. Methods such as SMS marketing and mobile ad campaigns could benefit brands and help them to attract more mobile users while they are on the go.

Indeed, a recent study conducted by Google in association with Nielsen found smartphones and tablets are enabling businesses to deliver targeted promotional material and in return increase conversions.

Director at Conlumino Neil Saunders said retailers need to take every chance they can to engage consumers and offer them the opportunity to interact with their brand. He explained: “An ‘omnichannel’ approach is key to making this happen and retailers can’t afford to stand still.”

One of the most common activities carried out by mobile shoppers is showrooming, when they check a store’s product prices while in a rival bricks-and-mortar shop.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/9949610/Mobile-spending-to-double.html

http://www.marketingmagazine.co.uk/news/1175912/Retail-sector-receive-18bn-boost-universal-4G/

http://www.retail-week.com/multichannel/online-retail/4g-to-boost-retail-spend-by-18bn-a-year-says-ebay/5047638.article

Dynmark has over 10 years’ worth of experience working closely with global enterprises in the retail industry right through to SMEs. This experience of large and small businesses has allowed us to create tailored solutions for retail companies. With this proven experience in the industry we are sure that we can help you make the most of your SMS communications. Read more about Dynmark’s retail experience here.

Mar 21 2013

Mobile continues to transform retailing, study shows

Summary: The continued growth of mobile sales highlights just how important handheld devices have become to retailers.

Mobile retail sales continued to grow in February 2013, albeit at a slower rate than in previous months.

The latest IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index showed that mobile transactions were up by 184 per cent when compared with the same period in 2012, while overall online sales grew by 13 per cent year-on-year.

Although this rate of growth was down on December 2012 (207 per cent) and January 2013 (193 per cent), it is still a very impressive performance and highlights the fact that retailers simply cannot afford to ignore the power of smartphones and tablet devices for both sales and marketing purposes.

Chris Webster, head of retail consulting and technology at Capgemini, said that levels of growth will inevitably slow down as more people become accustomed to using handheld devices to browse and buy goods. In essence, there are only so many people buying tablets and smartphones for the first time each month, so the market will eventually plateau.

“As with traditional channels, consumers are becoming used to using their smartphones and tablet devices to shop,” Mr Webster remarked.

The report also suggested that merchants who have optimised their sites for mobile use are benefiting from higher conversion rates. In 2011, the average mobile conversion rate was just one per cent, but by November last year this had risen above the two per cent threshold and peaked at 2.6 per cent in January 2013.

“As the use of mobile devices as internet portals has also become widespread, it has turned mobile into a viable sales channel as evidenced by the rise in conversion rate,” commented chief information officer at IMRG Tina Spooner.

Clearly, mobile is revolutionising the retail sector in terms of sales and marketing opportunities, but unfortunately many companies are failing to move with the times.

A recent study by Pitney Bowes showed that although 49 per cent of small and medium-sized enterprises say that mobile forms part of their activity, only eight per cent have a website that is optimised for use on handheld devices.

Dynmark has over 10 years’ worth of experience working closely with global enterprises in the retail industry right through to SMEs. This experience of large and small businesses has allowed us to create tailored solutions for retail companies. With this proven experience in the industry we are sure that we can help you make the most of your SMS communications. Read more about Dynmark’s retail experience here.

Mar 21 2013

Why today’s retailers should move with the tide

Currently the mobile platform is maturing at a much faster rate compared to the PC platform, Larry Freed, president and CEO of ForeSee states that “We see it in the rate of consumer adoption, and fortunately we are seeing it in how well the top retailers are adapting to multichannel consumers who are embracing yet another powerful tool.”

A recent survey conducted by ForeSee has shown that Amazon are the forerunners in their field, with the customer satisfaction survey firmly putting them as the top destination for mobile shoppers. Out of a possible 100, Amazon have managed to secure an impressive 85 points. This is because they have fully utilized both their website and there mobile site ensuring that the customer has a seamless shopping experience.

“Consumers expect retailers to provide a consistent and seamless experience, regardless of the channel.” Adds Larry Freed.

By providing a mobile site for consumers, businesses are increasing their turnover as the migration to mobile shopping has increased paired with the customers trust in the mobile channel. According to a recent BuzzCity survey only 3% of mobile users are worried about the security of mobile payments, down from 27% a year earlier. This diminishment of trust issues surrounding security on the mobile platform can only be assumed as a result of education by the mobile industry “It is clear that consumers are now far more receptive to mobile commerce than ever before; this comes as a result of continuous education by the mobile industry to overcome concerns such as trust and security, combined with falling data costs and increased capabilities of smartphones and tablets,” says Dr. KF Lai, CEO of BuzzCity

“Just four years ago mobile commerce barely existed. Today, mobile touches nearly one in every three purchases on eBay,” says Steve Yankovich, vice president of mobile for eBay. This is why it is of the utmost importance to ensure that businesses migrate their thinking to include mobile platforms and mobile marketing into their advertising budget. A recent study by BuzzCity has shown that Consumers are spending 10 – 30 % of their time in front of their phones, yet mobile accounts for about just 1% of marketing budgets. This is something which retailers must start to factor into their budgets, this can be utilised by both online and high street retailers.

By sending out SMS campaigns, businesses can target groups of customers, this does not necessarily need to be a campaign for an online promotion, but could instead be used to increase footfall within their stores. A discount code, for example, could be sent to customers on their birthday which could be redeemed in store. This not only ‘reminds’ the customer of the brand but also could result in the customer making a purchase which they would not have necessarily made previously.  This is shown as 17% of mobile shoppers admit to having been persuaded to buy something through an ad. Moreover by sending a ‘birthday treat text’ companies start to build up a closer and more personal relationship, this in turn helps pave the way to a long and beneficial customer relationship.

Dynmark has over 10 years’ worth of experience working closely with global enterprises in the retail industry right through to SMEs. This experience of large and small businesses has allowed us to create tailored solutions for retail companies. With this proven experience in the industry we are sure that we can help you make the most of your SMS communications. Read more about Dynmark’s retail experience here.

Mar 12 2013

Study highlights wide reach of mobile retail

Summary: New figures have shown that UK retailers are benefiting most from a sharp upturn in cross-border online trade in Europe.

The value of cross-border online sales is expected to soar in 2013, with a new study predicting that transactions worth €36 billion (£31.4 billion) will be made by the end of the year throughout Europe.

This would be a €10 billion improvement on last year, which highlights just how much business is being completed via the web between different countries.

According to IMRG, the UK is benefiting from the digital revolution more than any other European nation, with international consumers spending an incredible £7.4 billion on British websites in 2012. This figure is expected to climb to £10 billion in 2013.

Leaders at IMRG insist the UK’s online retail sector is one of the biggest success stories of the past decade and is second only to the US in terms of the revenue made from internet sales.

“Cross-border is the future of ecommerce and the opportunity is particularly strong for UK retailers due to the advanced state and sophistication of the market here,” commented chief operations and policy officer at IMRG Andrew McClelland.

Retailers need to remember that the rapid emergence of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets has opened up huge new opportunities.

A previous study by IMRG showed that 12 per cent of all online purchases made in the UK last year were completed via a mobile gadget of some sort. This was a big leap on 2011, when a mere four per cent of web sales were done through a wireless device.

Increased globalisation means that stores now need to tailor their SMS, email and any other marketing content to suit people not just in the UK, but all over the world.

Mr McClelland added that firms should do their homework when choosing specific countries in which to launch advertising campaigns and it is important to select markets that are appropriate to them and the products they sell, rather than simply opting to gain market share in places they might think are on the brink of an economic boom.

Dynmark has over 10 years’ worth of experience working closely with global enterprises in the retail industry right through to SMEs. This experience of large and small businesses has allowed us to create tailored solutions for retail companies. With this proven experience in the industry we are sure that we can help you make the most of your SMS communications. Read more about Dynmark’s retail experience here.

Mar 8 2013

Digital rewards ‘driving forward mcommerce’

Summary: More consumers are purchasing goods after being enticed with the prospect of digital rewards.

Digital rewards promotion platform ifeelgoods has reported its interaction with consumers is driving forward mobile purchases and customer acquisition rates.

With mcommerce becoming increasingly popular among shoppers since the festive period, when IBM reported 24 per cent of traffic to ecommerce sites on Black Friday came from smartphones, it seems the mobile channel is bringing in returns for business-savvy retailers more than ever, GoMo News reports.

Indeed, ifeelgoods, which provides digital rewards offers to more than 100 leading marketers from major brands such as Walmart, Coca-Cola, L’Oreal and Kimberly-Clark, said it has been experiencing strong results through its mobile promotions.

It claimed the retailers it has been working with noted click-through-rates (CTRs) to their sites are between ten and 12 times higher after using a digital rewards promotion, in comparison with standard discount offers.

Michael Amar, chief executive officer and co-founder of ifeelgoods, said more advertisers need their campaigns to operate in a multi-channel environment and when they use digital rewards that are relevant to their customers, CTRs and conversion rates are “substantially lifted”.

“It’s clear to us that digital rewards promotions via mobile channels will see a growing share of the media mix,” he added.

The company enables marketers to offer these rewards from massive brands like iTunes, Amazon and Facebook and a recent promotion saw people purchasing bouquets of flowers for Mother’s Day from 1-800-Flowers being able to earn a $10 (£6.60) iTunes gift card.

It allows retailers to send consumers promotions via a range of channels, such as SMS, which means people are able to hear about the latest deals on the move. Businesses can also use ifeelgoods to roll out mobile advertising campaigns and launch QR codes, which are likely to boost customer engagement by allowing users to scan a firm’s campaign create to access exclusive rewards.

Mobile marketers must ensure that – in order for them to keep up with competitors – they are delivering the best user experience possible and Carin van Vuuren, chief marketing officer at Usablenet, recently said they need to be aware just how powerful the mobile channel is becoming.

Dynmark has over 10 years’ worth of experience working closely with global enterprises in the retail industry right through to SMEs. This experience of large and small businesses has allowed us to create tailored solutions for retail companies. With this proven experience in the industry we are sure that we can help you make the most of your SMS communications. Read more about Dynmark’s retail experience here.