The mobile domination of the retail market continues. According to data released by Adobe Digital Insights, smartphone visits are increasing in value at a faster rate than desktop alternatives. Over the last three years, ADI found that smartphone visits have closed the value gap by 10 percent.
“The attention span of users is becoming shorter, and we think it’s because they are expecting higher-quality, straight-to-the-point browsing experiences,” said Costa Laisy, data scientist at ADI. “They don’t want to go through 20 pages, especially when they’re on their smartphones. Retailers that are hoping to close the visit-to-revenue gap might want to consider simplifying their mobile experiences.”
With the influx of 5G technologies, ADI forecasted that retailers could gain $12 billion per year in revenue by 2021. This, of course, demands that retailers and brands invest largely in mobile functionality to serve frictionless shopping journeys regardless of device.
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What’s more, online visits have remained flat for the last three years, ADI data suggested. Laisy said mobile provided a venue for growth, as the increase of new users plateaus. The frequency rates underscore the importance of this shift — ADI’s research found that smartphone visits in the U.S. have risen more than 89 percent since January 2015 — while tablet and desktop visits both declined.
Cross-border commerce is also driving up smartphone visits. “The biggest growth is coming from India, where the smartphone population increased by 211 million since January 2015. China came in at a close second, with 169 million new smartphone users,” ADI said.
As technologies like virtual reality, voice-control assistants and augmented reality infiltrate consumer usage, it will be imperative for retailer and brands to be multiple steps ahead of the adoption curve. This requires in-depth data collection and analysis to best understand shopper behavior to deliver services they might not even realize they require, resulting in delight — and loyalty.
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