20 Jun In Search of the Cross-Device
One of the latest buzzwords in the ecommerce world is cross-device. If this term does not enter your conversation with regularity, you are either unaware of the problems lurking within its definition or you’ve already solved them and moved on.
Just Googling cross device makes your head spin.
It never stands alone which adds to the complexity. Here’s what appears on the initial search page:
- Cross Device Commerce
- Cross Device Shopping
- Cross Device Reach
- Cross-Device Mapping
- Cross-Device Technology
- Cross-Device Targeting
- Cross-Device Tracking
- Cross-Device Identity
- Cross Device Reports
- Cross-Device Retargeting
- Cross Device Marketing
Oddly enough, there is no definition for the term by itself. Try searching for cross device definition and you’ll find a repeat of the above. Apparently, even Google isn’t sure what it means.
Here’s what it means to us and why it’s important to you.
The consumer’s newest right of purchase is now the online merchant’s latest clog in the sales cycle.
Cross-device refers to the behavior of today’s online consumer. We all now use multiple devices – desktop computers, tablets, and smartphones – to find and purchase what we want. We all switch from one device to another with ease according to which is most convenient at any given moment of the day.
And because all of our devices connect to the Internet, we expect to access the same information no matter where we are or which device we choose to use. This convenience has become an assumed consumer right and its absence can directly affect our buying habits.
Unfortunately, the consumer’s newest right of purchase is now the online merchant’s latest clog in the sales cycle.
Original website designs and marketing strategies created for desktop computers must now be adapted to serve tablets and smartphones. And, they must seamlessly connect to one another in order to ensure continuity of the shopping experience and marketing messaging.
Not an easy task.
Some ecommerce companies have mastered the complexities. Others have not implemented basic cart rebuilding across all devices. Read our Empty Cart post to see why this is important.
Earlier this year we surveyed the landscape in an effort to assess the adoption of cross-device technology. We selected 500 ecommerce companies with Alexa scores ranging from 50,000 to 300,000. The resulting test group included well-established catalog companies as well as new online-only retailers.
Our investigative process involved the following steps:
- Email subscriptions were completed via desktop.
- A single item was placed in the shopping cart via desktop and abandoned before purchase completion.
- Abandoned cart emails received were opened via smartphone.
- Return to Cart buttons were clicked via phone to verify the presence of a cross-device feature.
- The number of both abandoned cart emails and broadcast emails received during a 3-week period were recorded.
- Screen shots were taken of all emails and stored for analysis.
The results were surprising:
- 60% of our test group had no abandoned cart program
This essential email messaging tool has been available since 2007 and can produce stellar conversion rates (well in the 50% range for some companies) – not to mention recover substantial lost revenue. It should be part of every company’s online marketing strategy.
- Of those companies with abandoned cart programs, 54% had no cross-device cart saver
These companies encourage customers to complete their orders, yet send them to an empty cart. An embarrassing and costly problem that can be easily remedied.
Though we were specifically looking for evidence of a cross-device shopping cart saver, we learned so much more about each company during our brief visit to their website.
More surprising results to follow. Stay tuned!