New research from comScore’s Data Mine reveals that while the majority of the digital consumers use both desktop and mobile devices, around one-third of consumers are visiting the top digital retail brands exclusively via mobile as of September 2013. And those visiting sites via mobile are “behaving very differently” depending on which retailer they are engaging with.
Engagement with retailers via mobile is split: some consumers tend to use the mobile app for a given retail brand, while others visit the brand’s mobile site. The research shows that for the top three online retail properties – Amazon, eBay and Apple sites – visitors spend the majority of the time engaging via mobile app. This is in stark contrast to other retail brands, where consumers spend 71-98% of their time engaging through the mobile web (not through the brand’s app).
Why is there such a sharp divide? According to comScore, the difference is easy to explain: mobile users are only willing to download a certain amount of apps, so they choose their favorite few and then use the mobile web to browse among the rest.
Does this place other retailers at a disadvantage? The report says yes; these brands then rely on their mobile site, which may not be optimized for easy shopping (compared to desktop), and the brand is not “front-and-center” on consumers’ mobile screens. The solution? Retail brands who want to see m-commerce grow need to get consumers to download and use their app.
How many retail apps are on your mobile phone?
