As consumers continue to choose mobile devices for their shopping, retailers are constantly aiming to enhance the experience — but there is still plenty of room for improvement. In fact, a report from NewStore gave the retail industry a “C” grade across the mobile customer journey.
This represents a slight improvement from the “C-” NewStore gave the industry in 2016. Here’s how the report ranked retailers’ performance in specific categories, in addition to some key statistics:
Mobile Experience (C+): 2017 showed no increase in the number of brands offering native shoppable apps. Only 22% do so, despite the appeal these apps have to a brand’s most loyal customers. Additionally, only 1% offer “progressive web functionalities,” which are native app-like experiences within the web site.
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Search & Discover (C+): Only 30% of store associates provide real-time inventory information on the store floor via a smartphone or tablet, while 46% of store associates can access the brand’s online catalog via smartphone or tablet.
When it comes to search, only 31% of brands’ mobile sites display a “Recently Viewed” section to remind customers of items they’ve found interesting in the past.
Personalization & Engagement (C-): Just 25% of brands offer store associates information on a customer’s past online purchases. And while consumers are demanding more engaging experiences via mobile, only 11% of brands currently offer in-store appointments through mobile web or native app.
Path to Purchase & Fulfillment (C): The industry is making progress when it comes to form fields. In 2016, purchase transactions required an average 21 fields to be completed, and today that number has dropped to 16.
And mobile payments are slowly but surely being integrated into the retail ecosystem. While only 11% of retailers say they accepted Apple Pay in-store in 2016, this percentage has jumped all the way to 34%.
To conduct the report, titled: NewStore 2017 Mobile Retail Report, the company sent a team of shoppers to evaluate mobile web sites, native apps and in-store experiences at 140 luxury, lifestyle and apparel brands.
