Mobile Shopping to Increase by 400%!

by

Christian Goodrich

Over the next five years, mobile sales are set to increase by 400%. In the US alone, M-commerce sales are forecast to reach $31bn by 2016.

Browsing the internet on a mobile device is a very different experience to browsing on a desktop computer or laptop. There’s the obvious differences such as screen size and speed.

The more subtle difference is touchscreen navigation. Touchscreen makes for a much more intimate, tactile experience. Users are physically touching your product photos. I think this is a more naturally human experience. A mouse is a technical device which puts a barrier between the users and your web page.

What about PC’s?

Purchases on computers and laptops still account for the lion’s share of all actual online sales. And they will always play a big part. Mobile will not completely replace PC’s and laptops.

At the moment the general trend is for people to browse on a mobile but then buy on a computer.

The two main reasons people do not buy on a mobile at the moment are:

1. Confidence and habit – A lot of people have only just gotten used to giving their credit card details to a website (something which 10 years ago a lot of people said they would never do!).

Once buying on a mobile becomes commonplace there will be a massive tipping point and the floodgates will open.

2. The buying process is not easy on a mobile – long forms, credit card info etc.

This is all set to change very soon with 1-click purchase. All of the banks, and major players such as itunes, amazon etc., are all investing heavily in 1 click purchase.

Soon buying on a mobile will be common place and eventually it may even replace your wallet. You will even be able to use it to pay for goods in shops.

My advice is get ahead of the game. Mobile commerce is here to stay so now’s the time to prepare your business for it.

What about Tablets?

Tablets are the bridge between traditional desktops computers and mobile phones.

Currently, the trend is to browse on a tablet but buy on a computers. However this trend is changing rapidly as more and more people exclusively use their tablet device to browse the internet and are quite comfortable making purchases on it.

As the buying process becomes simpler and quicker, tablet commerce is only going to increase so make sure your online shop is optimised for all tablet devices.

Shaun is the Creative Director of SOZO, which he founded back in 2000. SOZO is a leading

Cheltenham web design

company specialising in

mobile web design

, branding, SEO and online marketing.

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Mobile Shopping to Increase by 400%!