Upon implementing
a complete redesign of its logo and color scheme, Zulily revealed that it had made the
switch due to what’s becoming an increasingly practical reason: the new logo is
optimized for mobile shoppers. As
many as 72% of Zulily orders are
placed from mobile devices, giving more credibility to the idea that online
retailers should primarily cater to these devices.
Industry experts are recommending that retailers and
brands adopt a mobile-first (or even a mobile-only) strategy across the board, with
Doug Straton of Hershey even using the term
“thumb-stopping” to describe the kind of bright, eye-catching product
packaging images that will “pop” on mobile devices.
The RTP editors
discuss the steps retailers will need take to become truly mobile-optimized.
Adam Blair, Editor: When Zulily revealed that it had
changed its logo to be more mobile-friendly, my reaction was “Well, duh,”
followed by “Why aren’t more retailers and brands doing the same thing?” I’m
embarrassingly reliant on my phone for just about everything, and I’m far from
being a Millennial or Gen Z-er. A 2016 survey of 3,000 people aged 14 to 29
from Verve labeled this group “Mobile Prodigies,”
and noted that many are ready for predictive
personalization — in essence, anticipating what users will want to
do next on their mobile devices. The survey also ranked several elements of the
“perfect” mobile ad: It can be saved and accessed later (46%); Adds a
coupon or offer to the user’s mobile wallet (40%); Provides information
about product availability and store location (34%); Easily shared (34%);
and, Is relevant in terms of proximity and location (23%). Sounds like
brands have a lot of work to do to thrive in a mobile-first/mobile-only
marketplace.
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Glenn Taylor, Senior
Editor: Everyone loves to talk about content and how it can be tailored to
every medium, but the delivery is just as important as the content itself. If
we’re talking about mobile optimization, the shape of what you’re looking at
really factors into who, and how many, people will want to view it. In the case
of videos, square-shaped content can take up 78% more space on newsfeeds than landscape views, bring in 30% to 35% more video views and deliver
80% to 100% more engagement, according to Buffer.
The attention of most people browsing a mobile device is so fleeting at this
point that it’s very easy to imagine many of them simply exiting out of a video
if they realize they have to turn their phone horizontally. Retailers must look
at these tendencies and understand that user attention spans probably won’t
ever tilt in their favor, so they must design every bit of content and product
to fit within that screen, the way the customer wants to view it.
Bryan Wassel,
Associate Editor: It’s no longer enough to just make a web site look nice
on a mobile device. Shoppers expect an easy-to-use e-Commerce experience
whether they are using their smartphones or their desktops, and any retailer
that doesn’t cater to this need is leaving money on the table. Mobile
devices drove 66% of holiday e-Commerce traffic,
and retailers saw a 29% increase in mobile
conversion rates during Black Friday Weekend 2018
compared to 2017. One of the factors driving this trend is reduced friction at
mobile checkout — by saving mobile wallet information and time spent in the
shopping cart, retailers are making it easier for shoppers to make a purchase
without even leaving their couches to find their physical credit cards.
However, there is still work to be done in this area, and social media may be
one of the beneficiaries: these sites drove 6.2% of all
retailer traffic, up 22% from 2017, and their ability to make it
easier to go from inspiration to
conversion creates a powerful sales engine.
