The State of Digital Commerce and Smartphones

The ubiquitous nature of the smartphones and other mobile devices has given rise to a highly informed and connected consumer base. They walk into a retail outlet and they would already be whipping out their mobile devices to compare products or prices available in-store to those available online. Moreover, they expect the retailers to be well aware of not only the merchandise, but also about promotions and discounts on offer. Interestingly, the number of e-commerce transactions has been on the rise, where mobile accounts for 29% of all e-commerce transaction in the US and 34% on a global scale – numbers that are projected to grow even higher by the end of the year.

How can an ecommerce web development company add a competitive advantage to their client businesses? Alternatively, how can a team of Android app developers leverage the effectiveness of mobile devices or smartphones for their e-retail clients’ businesses? Questions like these are pertinent for every e-commerce enterprise out there in the market. We look at four advantages of getting an e-commerce business to the mobile devices.

1. Customer Engagement

For any business venture, offering content, services or solutions that engage the consumers is the key to increasing traffic and subsequently improving conversion rates and ROIs. These days, the key building a strong consumer base is to present users with personalized experiences, where context meets the content and are relevant. A loyal consumer base invariably adds to the businesses’ returns on investments, besides helping them enhance the loyalty and value of the brand. Customer loyalty solutions are an effective solution to enhance the client-consumer engagement.

2. Customization & Personalization

True consumer engagement can only be achieved if the e-commerce retailers are able to present a personalized as well as customized user experience to their customers. And, personalization is not just limited to sending out promotional mails addressed to the consumers by their first names. The digital age, with its technologies, has taken digital consumer experiences to an altogether new level. Even an ecommerce web development company now offers solutions that address this requirement for their mobile commerce clients.

3. Location-based Services

M-commerce businesses can offer services or optimize the buyer’s shopping cart by directing them to the nearest stores or offering them products specific to their locations. The Android app developers working on the any native or responsive e-commerce app can integrate the in-built location sensors of a smartphone into the app to leverage the power of location-based consumer services. Android-powered devices account for 6% of all e-commerce transactions in the US.

4. Promotions – Omni-channel Media

Mobile devices facilitate the creation of a single-channel medium for a multitude of promotional activities for the online retail businesses. Promotional mails, notifications, discounts, offers and a lot more now find their way right into the customers’ inboxes and apps on their smart devices. Apart from being the personalized promotional medium, mobile apps can offer highly intuitive user experiences.

In closing, digital commerce is on the rise and this surge is further fueled by the burgeoning use of smartphones, tablets or other mobile devices. It is only prudent that e-commerce ventures realize the potential of a mobile-first approach and implement the same.