Mobile customer engagement has emerged as a critical component for ecommerce, according to a new study from LogMeIn.
Respondents reported that 27% of all of their purchases in the past year were made on mobile devices and 79% made at least one purchase via their mobile devices in the same period. By 2018, the study estimates that 50% of all ecommerce purchases will be made via a mobile device.
It is a clear call to action for loyalty marketers planning for the next era of customer engagement.
The Portland Trail Blazers, for example, represent a great example of a company that is focused on mobile and its ability to impact customer engagement.
Since the Portland Trail Blazers set off on a continuous customer journey, building deeper, more personalized fan relationships, executives have honed in on a key area of engagement: Mobile.
“I think that a lot of what we’re seeing and focusing on is the mobile device right now,” Vincent Ircandia, Senior Vice President of Business Operations for the Portland Trail Blazers, told Loyalty360. “We are the No. 1 team in the NBA in terms of our share of web traffic being done on mobile devices. We are up around 65% right now for percentage of our traffic being done on mobile. We are seeing that and people want to get content through their mobile devices at key times in their customer journey and we are really focused on being able to deliver that. We launched an iBeacon network this year for the first time so we have 150 iBeacons spread through our facility and we are using those for everything from capturing customer sentiment from our fans, to offering special offers to our fans for retail, food, and beverage, thank-you messaging … those sorts of things are happening. I think that the main piece is that people have mobile devices and we can learn so much about our fans from how they interact with our brand on their mobile and we are trying to address that.”
As critical a component of customer engagement as mobile is, the study reveals that many marketers are falling drastically short when it comes to delivering a satisfying mobile experience for customers. In fact, on average only 52% of respondents reported that they were satisfied with their last mobile engagement with a business, a drop from 59% in 2015. What’s more, 85% of respondents indicated they were unlikely to do business with a company following a bad mobile experience.
The study surveyed 8,000 consumers across the United States, Europe, India, Australia, and New Zealand.
Mobile is a critical part of the shopping experience for both purchase and product research engagements.
53% of respondents reported that they regularly use their mobile devices to research products or services before buying, while 44% will actually purchase these products or services on their mobile device, up from 41% last year.
Here are some other key study findings:
Despite the importance of high quality mobile engagement, satisfaction has declined over the past two years. Insurance companies saw the largest drop from 60% satisfied to 47%, as retailers saw a decrease from 64% satisfied to 55%.
91% of respondents believe there should always be a way to contact a real person during a mobile experience
71% of consumers reported that they would spend more money via their mobile devices if one or more of the reported concerns were addressed: 35% believe it should be easier to compare products on the mobile device and 33% cited lack of confidence in security of ecommerce sites and apps as a significant issue.
“There are more ways than ever for companies to engage with customers and mobile is a vital part of a company’s ecommerce success,” said Dave Campbell, vice president of product marketing for customer engagement and support at LogMeIn. “Customers expect a seamless experience and access to information across all of the channels and devices they use. While not meeting these demands can come with an enormous price tag, a good mobile experience can create a competitive differentiator, drive revenue, and turn prospects into loyal customers.”