Consumer behaviour in a mobile world

This blog was created while Mark was working at The Logic Group.

Once again, my thoughts turned to mobile transactions this week. This was off the back of reading that mobile conversion rates for a retail website are 25% higher than there main site! How can this be so? How are so many people viewing an item on their mobile, and buying it in one single visit. Phones are getting bigger, faster, and many are famed for their usability – but shopping on a 3.5 inch display is a poor comparison to a large monitor!

This is in direct comparison to a website, which is usually more feature rich, and generally easier to view the item in question! This chain of thought led me to first question the figure, dismissing it as just another research paper with limited credibility. The following weekend, I realised that not only believed the stats, but I was the very example of typical multichannel payment behaviour ending with a successful mobile transaction!

I was toying with buying a household electrical item - nothing exciting - a new handheld vacuum - but at over £100 I was not going to get the first one I saw. Like so many of us in this situation, the first port of call is the web - it does not matter if it is for a vacuum, stereo or some of the more mundane purchases like insurance. We all spend so much time in front of a computer - that trawling the web for prices, pictures, and reviews is now a standard part of the purchase cycle. After I had narrowed my search down to a small selection, I thought that I would indulge my wife and take her shopping - giving me a chance to see the items first hand. Most of the time I buy straight from the web – with no desire to visit a shop, but this time I was undecided. I felt the need to pick up the item and wave it around and there is no better way than to stand in a retail store – why I felt the need to practice with a vacuum cleaner in a shop is beyond me, when I try to avoid this at all costs at home!

A long shopping experience later, I had decided on the one to buy, but after an extended period of procrastination I headed home empty handed. After so much time thinking about what to get, I almost felt cheated by not completing the purchase – my money, or more accurately, my payment cards were burning a hole in my pocket. So in the car on the way home I used my phone ( I was not driving…), went to the website of the store I had just visited, and bought the item there and then! No further browsing - just a quick, simple mobile transaction – following an almost “case study” example of multichannel payments!

This conversion rate is helped by competitive online pricing, free delivery, and building the multichannel payment experience to be as seamless as possible. Trust also plays a greater part in online transactions, and more and more of us are becoming aware of the threats and guarding against this by using familiar brands who have implemented a secure payment page hopefully using 3D secure (Verified by Visa or MasterCard Securecode). So far, this experience is more of a challenge on a phone, and the sooner paypages are optimised, the better!

Many stores are now looking at “click and collect” where it is a CNP transaction, but I get to pick it up the same day in store…this overcomes one of the biggest downfalls for me of having to patiently wait for the postman – but lets not forget that it is also good for the store, as they have saved on postage!

With advancements in mobile technology, web design, and careful tracking of multichannel payment behaviour, mobile transaction volumes are set to continue…and I will be there leading the way…budget permitting!