brands are still cracking the code on mobile conversion

In our most recent report, mobile optimization was identified as one of the top five initiatives brands are focused on to achieve customer centricity.

Globally, 57% of ecommerce sales come from mobile devices, according to a report from Capital One. That number is projected to go up, and with each year that passes, more customers will be mobile natives, so the clock to get mobile right is ticking.

Based on their goals, business models, and maturity, brands leverage “mobile” in various ways. Use cases have included:

• Making it easier to click social posts to buy a product 

• Connecting mobile app data to online and in-store data for a complete customer picture

• Pushing triggered SMS messages using recent shopping data

• Creating an app for current customers to engage with the brand

• Giving loyalty members a unique app experience

We hear from brands that mobile optimization is a journey, with every phase incrementally increasing customer experience. Some projects might be very specific but yield significant results, using real-time data to trigger a relevant discount message. Others are complicated and expensive and might not even be worth it: building an app for a product typically purchased in-store (furniture, fine jewelry, and even extended-size clothing).

To decide what direction to take and get a return on their mobile investment, brands need to be able to forecast customer engagement and conversion, estimate development costs and time to market, and evaluate vendor partners effectively. 

Here’s what brands have to say about mobile optimization:

"The biggest topic for us on the e-commerce team was mobile optimization. We knew through Adobe Analytics, but more recently through GA, we had an opportunity to improve conversion with our mobile customers, especially with the customer primarily being millennials, Gen Z, who are on their devices. Still, conversion rates were much higher on desktop than on mobile. So finding ways to optimize for mobile, improve the mobile experience, and convince customers to go ahead and make that purchase on their phone, not just on their computers.”

MANAGER, PRODUCT
$1B-10B OUTDOOR GEAR & APPAREL RETAILER

"I think you're seeing peers and the competition moved towards SMS and trying to mobile shop... It starts with making sure your foundation is set, and then what's your mobile acquisition strategy? And then the big picture is, where will you go with it? What's the play?"

DIRECTOR, MARKETING
$100M-500M APPAREL RETAILER

"Mobile is a focus for us. We can see how consumers operate and where things are going... One of the things that we've been working on, and I think it creates some challenges, but it also has some opportunities for us, is we have our own app. There's our app, and we have been investing in that app as a technology and experience element for us."

DIRECTOR, MARKETING
$1B-10B MOTORCYCLE COMPANY