Retailers have been honing their multichannel marketing strategies to take advantage of the growing popularity of smartphones and tablets. According to recent retail reports, customers are increasingly using tablets to seek information and make purchases. Therefore, merchants should make sure their websites and ecommerce software adapt well to the platform.

Javelin Strategy & Research's study revealed that tablets accounted for more than half of mobile commerce in 2013, surpassing smartphones for the first time. Customers spent $28.7 billion dollars on tablets, which was more than five times the amount of tablet payments in 2012. The Neilson Company similarly found that consumers are turning to their tablets more often than their smartphones for researching products, reading reviews, making digital purchases and buying physical items.

In addition to creating online shopping resources that are optimized for tablets, merchants should be aware of customer preferences for app-based or Web-based transactions, the report noted. 

"While functionality should differ between the two methods, it is also critical for vendors to ensure that the user experience is similar for both methods so that crossover is frictionless," said Mary Monahan, executive vice president and research director of mobile at Javelin Strategy & Research. "Similar visual elements and layouts should be used to simplify the process and build a recognizable brand experience."

This entry was posted by Retail Pro on Friday, March 7th, 2014 at 12:32 pm .