5 obstacles to mobile purchases: here is the solution
Users of mobile devices increase every year and this growth has been even more enhanced by the pandemic. Especially 2021 was an essential year for eCommerce owners that saw an increase in visitors coming from smartphones and tablets more that from desktops.
But this frequent use of mobile devices did it bring an economic advantage for eCommerce owners? The answer is, unfortunately, no in most cases.
- Stress from scroll
- Not clear representation of products
- Hard comparison between products
- Absence of automatic compilation
- Incomplete information
1. Stress from scroll
The screen of a mobile device (smartphone or tablet) is way smaller than a desktop one, for this reason visible products and information are way less. Users are frequently scrolling across all the screen, having the perception of losing time and to not find the information they are looking for. This situation is the first purchase abandonment reason as it generates great frustration to the customer.
2. Not clear representation of products
That’s the case when products are not represented in a comprehensive way, for example through small or low-quality photos or small or not visible description. All these elements can create insecurity to the customer that can decide not to complete the purchase due to the fear or being disappointed.
3. Hard comparison between products
According to a Kantar research, approximately 90,4% of consumers compares online prices before doing a purchase. But is it so easy to do via mobile app?
The answer is no, comparing prices through smartphone or tablet can be very difficult because usees can’t use easily many tabs like on desktop and it’s pretty hard to switch from one to another. This difficulty may lead the consumer to bewilderment, so much that he could postpone the purchase of the product to the future.
4. Absence of automatic compilation
This is the most common obstacle. When data is requested, like the ones for shipping or payment, and forms don’t pre-fill, it’s more likely that the user could abandon the purchase for two possible reasons:
- Requested data unavailable: Increasingly, mobile purchases are made wherever someone is or is from home (or office) as often happens for desktop purchases. For this reason, it is much more likely that at that time customers do not have the required data
- Compilation difficulty: as previously mentioned, the screen of mobile devices are reduced, for this reason it is difficult for users to digit in the small spaces of forms without making mistakes.
Consequences are easy to imagine. For example a user that wishes to make a purchase on the e-commerce from the smartphone, during checkout could not have the necessary payment data. He could then postpone the purchase or even change website favoring a competitor.
5. Incomplete information
You managed to remove all the previous issues: tab switching is fluid, products are represented in a clear way, you have given users the possibility to compare products and it has been easy to set all the payment and shipment information. The user, however, could abandon the purchase due to a last obstacle.
Customers don’t like to receive surprises when they arrive at checkout, often they are faced with information that had not been previously specified, such as product availability, delivery times or additional expenses.
How is it possible to eliminate these pain points?
We’ve just seen that all these 5 points contribute to worsen the mobile experience on your eCommerce, hindering sales.
You could have reached potential customers but you may have also lost them for these causes. According to Google 50% of users say that even if they are attracted by a particular brand, they will abandon it if the website is not mobile-friendly.
An innovative tool that can help you not fall into these issues is the Mobile App:
Scroll simplification
The mobile app is designed for small screen devices, so the page scroll and product visualization is optimized. Also, word search, filters and wishlist will make the process of choosing products even easier. Let’s find out how you can improve page scrolling with the mobile app:
- Suitable components: you can insert the best elements to ease user orientation (header, footer, sidebar, main categories, number of articles loaded, total number of results and possibility to add products to a wishlist).
- Easier navigation: add a comfortable menu for navigation. In-app you have 2 possibilities: hamburger menu (☰) and tab-bar. The first appears and disappears on the page while, the second is always visible on the bottom of the pages. Don’t overlook this because it’s not just an aesthetic or design issue but it has consequences for the user experience. I advise you to make a mobile app with tab-bar style menu because it is more efficient, visible and accessible. There are two other elements that can simplify navigation: the search bar and the ability to insert filters, almost 40% of consumers use the search bar while 44% use filters [Source: Google];
- Customization: make the users experience customized. Every customer has different tastes, behaviors and preferences, because of that, thanks to the app, every user can view relevant and personalized content for him.
Clear product representation
On a mobile app product pages are made for a mobile experience, allowing to show a bigger number of elements compared to the web version of a eCommerce. In mobile apps CTAs are always clear and noticeable despite users’ scroll, making conversions easier and more immediate. Last, but not least, images are high-quality and have the possibility to zoom in a reactive and fluid mode, unlike the web.
Remember, then, to add detailed descriptions, high-quality images from different perspectives or videos. If you wish you can even add more sofisticated solutions like 3D images or artificial intelligence.
Easy product comparison
The Mobile App, unlike the web, allows to save users information (like shipping addresses and payment methods) on the device, making them quickly available to the user in the hottest stages of the purchase process. Also the App has cart recovery functionality, that’s not present on the web. The cart remains saved even if the user interrupts the shopping and closes the app.
Automatic compilation
The Mobile App, unlike the web, allows you to save user information (such as shipping address and payment methods) locally on the device, making them quickly available to the user in the hottest phases of the purchase process. In addition, the App has the functionality of cart recovery, not available on the web. The cart remains saved even if the user stops shopping and exits the app.
Communicate complete information
It’s important to be the clearest during the process, providing all the necessary information to the user, so that when he arrives at checkout he doesn’t have any doubt and/or final surprise. On the app you can set all the necessary information for your customers so that they will not be surprised at checkout.
...what now?
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