01 Aug Mobile Reality Check – July 2017
Half the year is over and many of you are already deep in preparation for the holiday season.
Photo sessions for new products are done, catalog pages are finalized and off to the printing presses, circulation plans are complete, and email strategy is under way.
But, there might be one area that has slipped through the cracks – one that will undoubtedly – if ignored – have a major impact on your projections.
Mobile traffic is up 51% over desktop, but conversion is less than half the rate.
Have you looked at your mobile traffic lately?
If you have, you know those numbers are steadily increasing at a pretty fast clip. Up 31% in July year over year – while desktop is down 5%.
These are the actual stats we are seeing for one of the clients we monitor monthly, but all show similar trends.
The speed of mobile migration is even more startling if you compare January-July 2017 vs 2016.
- Mobile traffic is up 51% while desktop is down by 2%.
- New mobile sessions are up 49%, while those for desktop dropped 4%.
- Mobile transactions are up 45%, desktop are up 1%.
- Mobile revenue is up 59%, desktop is up just 9%.
A mobile tsunami is on the horizon. It’s just a matter of time before the tipping point is reached – when over 50% of your revenue comes from smartphones.
Most of your revenue will soon come from mobile, but you will have to work harder to get it.
But, you will have to work harder to get it.
Mobile traffic converts at less than half the rate of desktop.
- 2.77% for desktop Jan-Jul 2017, compared to 1.42% for mobile.
- 2.69% for desktop Jan-Jul 2016, compared to 1.48% for mobile.
More and more of your customers prefer smartphones over desktop for ordering and receiving messaging, but they are encountering roadblocks. That is evident in the conversion rates.
What can you do about it?
Step 1 – Observe mobile user sessions to identify problem areas. Tools like Inspectlet are helpful.
Step 2 – Use an abandoned cart program to stay in touch and increase conversion rates.
Step 3 – Make sure that program has a cross-device cart saver so customers don’t return to an empty cart.
Step 4 – Monitor mobile traffic regularly – at least once a month.
More mobile reality checks to come. Stay tuned!