The popularity of tablets is changing mobile commerce behaviors
The use of mobile devices for researching and purchasing retail products has grown significantly over the past few years as consumers have utilized smartphones and tablets to get their shopping done. These gadgets gives individuals the ability to browse for and buy items no matter where they are and what time of the day it is. This has presented merchants with a plethora of opportunities for reaching out to consumers, improving retention and building loyalty.
While both devices are being used by customers for these purposes, one gadget is steadily gaining ground over the other when it comes to popularity – tablets. Shoppers are taking up tablets more so than smartphones to interact with retailers. This means that businesses need to make the move now to implement technology and solutions that accommodate tablet consumers. This can come in the form of point of sale systems, targeted marketing messages and loyalty programs, among other elements.
Tablets bring in sales for retailers
According to a recently released report by J.D. Power and Associates, tablets are increasingly being used to access merchants' websites and purchase products and services. The study looked at individuals who own both a tablet and a smartphone as well as those who share their tablet devices with at least one more person in their household.
For the former group, the research revealed that these consumers spend 36 percent more time browsing ecommerce sites on tablets than on their smartphones. Of the owners surveyed, more than half (51 percent) share their devices with at least one family member.
So what do these findings means for businesses? For one, the amount of time that individuals spend on tablets should be considered when merchants are developing marketing and loyalty strategies. Companies will want to make sure that the content and other elements they deliver are optimized for tablets and that their ecommerce platforms allow for effective navigation for shoppers. As for devices that are shared, analyzing the data of individuals that utilize these shared tablets will be key to creating successful marketing and loyalty programs.
Internet Retailer reports that research from Adobe Systems revealed that while smartphones are still used for browsing, comparing and purchasing items, tablets are used more frequently for these tasks as they provide larger screens as well as easier navigation features. Smartphones, on the other hand, are utilized by potential patrons for faster processes, like looking up stores' locations or researching merchandise prices.
