“Today, 27 percent of total sales come from the mobile app, 35 percent from the web site on smartphones, 10 percent from the web site on tablets, and a mere 28 percent from the web site on conventional PCs”, McEwan says.

Mobile commerce makes up 72 percent of Jane.com total company sales, and the app is becoming a more important player, he explains. Mobile commerce retail sales in the US are estimated to rise to USD 133 Billion from USD 76 Billion estimated in 2015.

Retailers looking at growth with a robust Mobile strategy are offering experiences that make their apps stand out with differentiation based on greater customization and emphasis on faster checkouts.

ASOS has mobile commerce focussed strategy with high rates of conversion that focuses on engaging consumers with announcing new collections for each category, while offering greater personalization with social log-ins.

Integrate Mobile Shopping and In-store experience

The ordering and decisions are being made with Smartphones, the In-Store use of Smartphones is as high as 60 percent for some categories, the savvier retailers are moving seamless checkout to preempting queue times as seen in the case of Starbucks mobile Ordering service.

According to TechCrunch, Starbucks’ mobile ordering system, which allows customers to place orders in advance of their visit to the store, pay from their phone, then skip the line when they arrive,has been rolled out to over 650 locations ahead of the national roll-out planned for this year.

Create Customer WOW with Customization

Starbucks has created a customer Wow by allowing for customization while minimizing the queue time for customers.

To use the feature within the application, customers click the “Order” option at the top-right of their screen, then select their food and beverage orders, customizing their drink as they choose. Using GPS functionality, the app will display the nearby stores where the order can be picked up, including the approximate wait times at each. Directions are also provided, if needed.

The customer then taps “order” to confirm, and the payment is made using the customer’s registered Starbucks Card.

The orders are sent immediately to the store where the staff begins to prepare the items for the customer ahead of their arrival. When the customer arrives at the location, they don’t have to wait in line – they can just pick up their order and leave.

Retailers have used Product locators to assist the Smartphone shopper as seen for Lowe’s App.

 

Place your products directly on the home page with the Call To Action.

Add your Best sellers right up-front, reducing the customer journey to three steps.
1. View Products
2. Add To Cart
3. Checkout

 

Promote Fast Check-out and Create Buzz with Whats New

While you have created a value proposition by offering a quicker checkout and faster delivery it is important to highlight the same with an appropriate Call To Action.

 Add the sign-up for rewards in your Checkout screen

At the time of checkout or the registration process offer an option to sign up for the rewards program as that is the time the customer is eager to earn the reward points or participate in any sweep stakes that you may be running. Remind customers to Use Gift card or reward points for payment. in case they can claim a reward offer a prompt for the free reward the customer is eligible for.

Allow Social Log-ins

Customers like to personalize the shopping experience, while shopping on SmartPhones and this is where Social Log-ins play an important role in improving the shopping experience and building loyal consumers with conversion rates being as high as 42 percent for brands offering social log-ins.

Add Social Sharing in The Mobile Experience

Social Sharing and referrals form a large part of total retail traffic. An estimated 12 percent of sales that take place in apps are from social referrals. Build Social sharing in your customer experience by allowing for sharing in different stages of buyer journey.

Create Engaging offers

Identify the  trend that resonates with your target audience and customize content and offers to promote the same. Taco Bell promoted e-gifts in the Mobile app, and promoted the same on BuzzFeed. Video is seen as the most engaging format for younger audiences and promoting your app with a Mobile Video can be more effective.