Over half of all internet traffic, these days comes from mobile devices, and over 60% of smartphone owners use theirs to shop. As shown by research from Signal boosters, mobile commerce, also known as mCommerce, is becoming a bigger market each year. It’s time you started catering towards it if you don’t want to be left in the dust.
Here are 4 mobile commerce trends to rule in 2019.
Proximity Marketing
If you have a physical store that is getting some steady traffic, then you need to take advantage of proximity marketing. It involves targeting people near your store with “beacons” – Bluetooth devices that send signals to people nearby who have your app. These signals encourage them to stop by your store while they are in the area.
Of course, people may be concerned about their privacy if you do this. That’s why you should encourage them with something of value like a discount or coupon code. For as much as people care about their privacy, 88% of people admitted to being willing to share their location in return for something like that.
Shoppable Tags on Instagram
Social media – Instagram in particular – needs to be part of your mobile commerce strategy. Around a third of people use social media to find new products, and nearly three-quarters of people consult social media before they make a final purchasing decision.
Just posting pretty pictures isn’t enough though. You also want to take advantage of shoppable tags. This is a tool that lets brands send followers directly to their website through an Instagram post. They are a great way to get traffic from Instagram as the platform doesn’t allow you to post links in the captions of photos. Enable Shoppable tags through the settings page of your Instagram business account.
Shoppable Tags on Google Ads
As long as you’re using shoppable tags on Instagram, you might as well take advantage of being able to showcase shopping ads on Google Ads. Their new format for ads is designed to help advertisers attract more customers through a PPC campaign, particularly when targeting those on mobile devices.
This is because the ads being displayed on third-party websites take people to landing pages hosted by Google. The pages are packed full of products, prices, and live promotions from your product feed. Showcase Shopping Ads are a recent development too; only being introduced this past holiday season. This is your chance to get ahead of the competition and embrace the platform before everyone else does.
Omni-Channel Experiences
Everyone wants a seamless shopping experience, no matter how, where, when, and why they shop. Almost everyone (98% of Americans) use multiple devices in a day, so think of how many people might find a product on one device but purchase it on another later on. This is why the omni-channel approach is so important. This basically means providing a seamless experience on every channel (website, mobile website, app, etc.).
The good news is that this isn’t as difficult as it might sound. Here’s how to create your own omni-channel experience;
- Use consistent branding on all platforms
- Allow customers to create a single profile they can use with every platform; for example, include the products a desktop customer added to their basket on their mobile app
- Personalize content based on what they viewed on other devices
Companies that focus on creating this presence retain an average of 89% of customers, compared to the 33% customer retention for those who didn’t. So you can see why it’s so important!
Final Thoughts
Now that you have all the tools you need to refine your mCommerce strategy and enjoy a great 2019, it’s time to get to work. Keep these trends in mind and get ahead of the curve by implementing things such as shoppable tags and a seamless omni-channel experience now!
