It’s almost the most wonderful time of the year. First though, it’s time to spend (probably too much) money on gorgeous gifts for your loved ones and to order that epic Secret Santa gift you’ve been planning.
But, how will you go about your purchasing? In store or online? Via mobile or on your PC?
Seasonal Shopping Will See Mobile Takeover Desktop
Adobe has announced that it expects mobile device shopping will surpass desktop purchases for the first time in the US this festive season. Its research has predicted that mobile and tablets will account for 53% of online store visits, however just 34% of sales.
The company believes this is because brands are heavily investing in their mobile, email and social marketing campaigns in the run up to Christmas.
Read full report here.
Mobile Shopping Sees Us Spend More
This is validated by a report from HookLogic that has found the number of people online shopping and the number of purchases they made this Cyber Monday went up 11% when compared to the 2015 average.
The study found that 43% of Cyber Monday shopping was done via mobile, 46% on desktop and 11% on tablet devices. Whereas there was also an increase in the amount of pre-purchase research people are doing on their mobiles.
Steve Elson, Vice President of Retail Strategy for HookLogic, has said:
‘People shopped over the weekend and then went online at work at lunch on Monday and bought through high-speed connections. With the combination of deals starting even earlier, high broadband penetration and 4G smartphones, we’re really talking about “Cyber Months.”’
How Can You Ensure Your Business Doesn’t Miss Out?
Mobile devices are now becoming the holiday shopping method of choice for many who do not want to brave the shops or want to do some purchasing while on the go, and this will certainly grow in popularity next year.
It’s now a little late to begin work for this Christmas, however it’s never too early to plan ahead for the next festive rush. Here are a few simple changes you can make now in preparation for Christmas 2017:
• Track Everything – From using Google Analytics to track how users navigate your site to noting best-selling products. Learning from past experiences will surely improve your efforts next time around.
• Make Sure Your Site is Responsive – Back in April 2015, Google launched its ‘Mobilegeddon’ algorithm update which saw mobile-friendliness become a ranking signal which meant that non-responsive sites would be penalised in the search engine results pages. However, despite many sites being adapted in the wake of this update, this doesn’t necessarily mean they’re fully optimised for UX. Spend some time analysing the UX of your mobile site to ensure finding and purchasing items is as easy as possible.
• Add a Search Function – If you haven’t already, set up a well-designed search function on both your desktop and mobile versions of your site. This can not only be used to help users find what they’re looking for with ease, but tracking these searches can provide you with data on what products are most in demand this time or year, plus what pages are hard to find.
Learn More at the Figaro Digital Retailer Roundtable
For further insights into the latest technologies and quick-win tactics for ecommerce sites, why not book a place at the Figaro Digital Retailer Spotlight Digital Marketing Roundtable on the 23rd March 2017?
Here, expert speakers will share practical insights from within the industry that could not only help your site to prepare for Christmas, but improve it all year round. Find out more here.