Four mobile
commerce
trends to
watch in 2016

Have you noticed the appearance of new “Shop Now” buttons on the various social media platforms? 2015 was an important year of revolution, with the arrival of “Shop Now” buttons on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram. In 2014, the top 500 retailers earned $3.3 billion from social shopping, which is buying through the social media.

Launched in 2014, Apple Pay enables consumers to pay using a bank card on the latest versions of the iPhone, iPad and even the Apple Watch. More than one million credit cards were registered on Apple Pay in the first three days of its operation. For its part, Starbucks, it has succeeded in generating 16% of its total payment transactions via its mobile application

In the United States, experts estimate that by the end of 2017, more than $90 billion will be spent via mobile payments, a very significant increase compared to the $12.8 billion recorded in 2012.

Even though mobile commerce reached a record level during the 2015 Holiday period, more than two in three web surfers add items to their online shopping cart without finalizing their purchase, causing more than $18 billion in losses annually for companies. More than ever, online stores must be adapted to mobile (responsive) to offer consumers an optimum experience and encourage them to complete their purchases. As a retailer, focus on simplicity, rapidity and intuitive browsing, by paying attention to the payment steps and user clickstream rather than the number of clicks.

Even though smart phones are overtaking desk computers, the concept of mobility is not limited to smart phones or even tablets. According to predictions, by 2019, two in five web users will use wearable computers. The launch of the Apple Watch in 2015 represents a major milestone in the field of smart watches and wearables, ranking second behind Fitbit watches.

The clothing and luxury industry generates the most mobile transactions. According to a study by Criteo, which analyzed the data from individual transactions on $60 billion in annual sales across 3,000 online sales sites, more than 30% of the transactions in the fashion industry were carried out through a mobile device. Consumers no longer hesitate to use their tablet to make purchases and order values that exceed even those performed on a computer. According to the numbers from this same study, major retailers generate more than 25% of their online transactions on mobile devices. The end result is that over 20% of online sales of various business verticals (sporting goods, beauty products, etc.) in the retail sector are made via mobile commerce.

What should companies learn from this?

At the speed at which technology is evolving, businesses must watch for new trends to offer consumers an experience that corresponds to their reality and the evolution of their consumption habits. Marketing professionals must also consider the diversity of the devices used by consumers to make their purchases in order to adapt their communication strategies and optimize the customer experience on each platform.

With the new tools from the major players, new mobile compatibility restrictions and the increasing importance of the user experience, combined with record profits from mobile commerce, all retailers must pay special attention to the stakes and impact of mobile commerce, considering that this method of consumption will only continue to grow over the next few years.