Mobile Usage Survey by Siteworx Reveals Complexity in Buyer’s Journey

Siteworx released its 2015 mobile commerce usage report not long ago and the findings are important reminders to organizations looking to capitalize on mobile.

First, let’s point out that some of the results are consistent with other mobile commerce reports, including Adobe’s 2015 Digital Index, but there were some points worth pointing out.

Siteworx has released this report for a few years now and mobile is something the full service design and consulting firm knows a lot about. The company points out that the results weren’t exactly what they were expecting, but clearly demonstrate how complex the buyer’s journey is becoming.

One point – although mobile apps are still popular, many more consumers preferred mobile websites (63% vs 56% in last year’s survey). The question that arises here is in the value the mobile app provides. Mobile apps tend to be more simplistic, offering key functionality, whereas the website is full functional (even if it is harder to use on a mobile device). Do consumers prefer a mobile website over an app because they want more detail and capability? Do brands need to re-evaluate the functionality in their apps?

Another point noted that speed was more important than getting special offers when it came to downloading an app. From my experience mobile apps tend to be easier to use, but also quicker in response times when searching and looking at some information.

The survey found that the mobile shopping experience was a more enjoyable experience and easier in three ways:

1. Ease of finding products – 40%
2. Ease of checkout – 33%
3. Access to ratings/reviews – 35%

Here’s the key takeaway from this survey and many others – omni-channel is coming full force. In this case, actual purchases on mobile decreased, but mobile was still a key player in the buying process. The convergence of the online and offline experience is growing. People research online, they may even order online, but then they go into the store to pick up their order, or they go into the store to make the actual purchase.

Brands need to be aware of this growing trend and look at mobile in the full context of the buyer’s journey. The same way marketer’s have had to change the way they look at attribution, brands need to change the way they look at mobile. That’s the key takeaway here.

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