Stibo system’s research shows online shopping via smartphone and tablet devices has grown overall by 10% in the last year. Gartner even predicts that tablet adoption will go by 100% in 2012, estimating 655 million tablets in use globally by 2016.
While the laptop is still the preferred method by 66% for online shopping, smartphone and tablet devices have grown to be the favourite method of online shopping among 20% of online shoppers.
"As the use of mobile devices becomes more ubiquitous in today’s world, it becomes crucial for retailers to meet customers’ rising expectations surrounding m-commerce," said Mark Thorpe, UK managing director at Stibo.
Stibo System’s 2012 UK Consumer retail survey, however, found a drop in customer satisfaction when shopping on mobile. Research suggests that retailers must create a well rounded data management and multi-channel strategy to ensure customer interaction and satisfaction.
"Retailers need to ensure that managing master data is at the heart of their multichannel strategy for 2012; as the survey points out, consistent product information is something that consumers look for when shopping, whichever the channel," said Thorpe. "The potential for lost opportunity due to incorrect product information demonstrates retailers’ ongoing need of a product information management solution to be the foundation of their multichannel strategy."
Poor product information had a negative effect on online mobile sales with 16% citing this reason for not making an online purchase. Mobile devices were shown to be used by 78% of consumers to review products before making a purchase. Thus proper product information across all mobile channels can help online sales or even boosts them.
Overall, only 25% of respondents reporting being satisfied with their mobile retail experience.
"In producing a year-on-year survey comparison, it is evident that mobile is a key part of a retailer’s multichannel strategy," said Thorpe. "Retailers must pay attention to this if they are to continue to ensure customer satisfaction throughout the overall shopping experience."
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