Are retailers truly ready for mobile commerce?
There have been many changes within the retail industry over the past few years – the rise of ecommerce, evolving consumer demands and enhanced customer service are just a few. Now, a new form of technology is bringing yet more alterations to retailers' brick-and-mortar locations as well as their web shopping options – mobile devices. Smartphones and tablets are being increasingly used by consumers to browse for and purchase products. While merchants may think they are prepared to accommodate these device-carrying customers through new solutions, the truth is that many are not able to meet the needs of these patrons. If businesses want to avoid losing shoppers due to a lack of technology that processes transactions from mobile devices, then now is the time to incorporate POS systems and other capabilities into their operations.
Mobile adoption is big, but not yet widespread
A significant number of retailers know how important mobile solutions are and how vital they will be in the near future, but not enough are implementing the technology into their current operations. According to research from Kontagent and Econsultancy, two-thirds of companies do not have strategies in place to determine how well they are providing mobile experiences for customers. This means that many merchants may not have solutions that meet the needs of shoppers who prefer to use their devices for retail purposes.
In addition, the study also revealed that 65 percent of respondents are putting more money toward technology solutions this year. However, many of that group stated that they are not sure of the plans they have regarding mobile systems nor of how to gather and analyze data from consumers who are using smartphones and tablets.
"Many companies fall into the trap that they believe they need a consistent mobile presence, but fall short of taking the proper steps to ensure the experience is effective," said Jeff Tseng, CEO and co-founder of Kontagent. "Businesses that will succeed on this next wave need to understand how to not only build outstanding experiences on mobile platforms, but also leverage user data rigorously in order to best measure and improve their mobile offerings."
A study by SAP, conducted at this year's Mobile World Congress, found that many retailers do indeed want to improve upon their mobile payment options. Retail Info Systems News report that of the technologies considered essential to provide great experiences, POS services such as near field communication was the most vital.
