The holiday season is here, and as all retailers know, so is the busiest shopping time of year. What you might not know is that mobile shopping is expected to outshine all other methods of shopping. If you don’t want to miss out on this sales opportunity, make sure mobile and text message marketing are part of your arsenal.
Mobile shopping has become one of the most convenient ways to shop. All a consumer has to do is pull out their smartphone or tablet, browse an online store, make their selection, press a button, and voila! – shopping is done. It sure beats battling the crowds and standing in long lines.
Mobile shopping has become the American consumer’s preferred method of shopping in recent years.
- In 2010, 96% of online retail shopping was done via desktop and only 4% through mobile devices.
- In 2014, it’s estimated that 51% of all visits to retailers’ websites will be made on a mobile device, which means smartphones and tablets have become the primary tool used for online shopping.
These numbers are expected to continue rising as the ease of mobile shopping increases. Most consumers are far more likely to have a phone or a tablet within reach than a desktop computer. In Latin America and other regions, mobile completely overtakes desktops as many families rely solely on mobile for internet access.
According to Practical Commerce, 33% of online sales made during the 2014 holiday season will be completed via mobile devices.
What does this mean for you?
You need to make sure you’re reaching your customers on their mobile phones and, when using text, linking to a website that is mobile friendly.
SMS or text message marketing is a great tool for holiday sales
- Promote Black Friday and other sales with text messages that are quick and convey urgency.
- If sales aren’t as high as hoped before Christmas, send a quick text for a sales boost targeting last-minute shoppers.
- 97% of text messages are opened within minutes of receipt. Send a text, right after your email blast to ensure everyone gets the message. You can even link to your e-newsletter online.
- Create a text-to-win or mobile sweepstakes to draw in new shoppers and tie in to the holidays.
Make sure your e-commerce site is mobile-friendly
If your site isn’t designed to read well on a mobile device, it will be difficult for visitors to use and will make them more likely to click off your site than stay and shop.
Here are some tips to make your site mobile-friendly:
- Make the layout simple. Remember that mobile screens have limited space, and you have to work with that space. The easier your site is to use, the better the shopping experience will be.
- Make those buttons (search, purchase, etc) easy for large fingers to use and big enough for small screens.
- Add a redirect to your site. This will allow your site to detect when a visitor is using a mobile device and will automatically redirect to the mobile version.
With text message marketing and a mobile-friendly website, you can optimize sales this holiday shopping season.