By Rieva Lesonsky
Sometimes I feel like a broken record, repeating and repeating the message that small business owners, particularly retailers, need to make sure their websites (and marketing messages) are mobile-friendly.
As Chuck Martin points out in the MobileShopTalk blog on MediaPost, mobile shopping means “using a smartphone [or tablet] throughout the shopping process, no matter where the final sale takes place.”
This is backed up by a holiday survey from Deloitte that says consumers plan to use their smartphones (78 percent) and tablets (72 percent) for holiday shopping.
The top five ways consumers will tap into mobile this holiday season are:
- Get store location (60 percent)
- Compare prices (55 percent)
- Shopping online (50 percent)
- Reading product reviews (46 percent)
- Getting product information/Finding coupons and discounts (both 45 percent)
Though the recession has been over for years, Americans are still looking for bargains. Coupons and promotions will influence purchases for 78 percent of shoppers.
Martin also says consumers are more accepting of DIY shopping this year, with 57 percent wanting stores to have automated price checkers available. While that might not be feasible for your small store, there are some “wishes” you can more easily fulfill, such as providing easy access to information, the ability to make mobile payments and product demonstration videos.
