Retailers looking to tap into the growing mobile ecommerce sector must work harder to improve their sites or risk alienating customers, according to a new study, which claims millions are being put off by shoddy services.
The report, commissioned by Tealeaf, shows 23 per cent of UK online consumers conducted some kind of mobile transaction last year – equivalent of 10 million people – but 83 per cent experienced a problem.
Some 63 per cent have used their mobiles for shopping, 37 per cent to conduct financial transactions, 34 per cent for travel bookings, and 23 per cent for insurance payments or purchases.
On average, mobile shoppers completed 4.4 transactions per month by mobile, with a more or less even split between app (43 per cent) and mobile Internet browser (41 per cent).
The study looked at the various problems encountered when users were making mobile transaction, and these go beyond mere issues, and suggest that mobile usability needs to improve.
The most common issue was receiving error messages (34 per cent), while 25 per cent found apps or websites difficult to use, 25 per cent had problems logging in, and 20 per cent said their credit card would not go through.
Negative mobile experiences also have the potential to detract from other channels, with 66 per cent of respondents stating they would be less likely to buy online or instore from a company if their mobile site caused them problems.
Though mobile commerce is still a relatively new channel, and many retailers in the UK –including John Lewis, M&S and Tesco – have only launched sites or apps in the last 12 months, users’ expectations are high. Respondents said they expected mobile transactions to be easier than offline (51 per cent) or on a desktop computer (50 per cent).
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