International. Mobile devices ceased to be the younger brother of eCommerce to establish themselves as the fastest growing channel, concentrating half of sales in some countries, according to a new report by Criteo. But there's one master key that leveraged this growth: apps.
Mobile e-commerce ceased to be something exotic or a promise to become a palpable reality and the fastest growing channel in online commerce: mobile participation in total global e-commerce grew by 17% year-on-year, monopolizing more than a third of operations (it went from 30 to 35%), according to data from The State of Mobile Commerce, the latest report from Criteo, the results marketing technology company that analyzes 1500 million daily online transactions in 85 countries from all types of devices and platforms.
But the most advanced retailers in e-commerce nearly doubled that growth, reaching as much as 30%, raising their percentage of mobile engagement from 40% to 52%. Moreover, Criteo speaks of a "turning point" in the field of e-commerce, since in some countries (such as Japan and the United Kingdom) half of all online sales already materialize through phones and tablets.
But this mobile success is supported by something so brief and quick to mention that it almost sounds like a magic word: app. Mobile apps are today the true queens of e-commerce. From them, more sales are generated (and of greater value), higher conversion rates and loyalty than from PCs and notebooks (the "desktop", which held the scepter until this moment) or from the mobile web.
Criteo's report reveals four key aspects why apps manifest themselves as the new stars of e-commerce:
-From the apps more sales are made
In criteo's previous report, mobile sales from browsers accounted for 53% of the total, leaving the remaining 47% in the hands of the app. In one year this relationship practically reversed: today 54% of operations are carried out via applications, against 46% that are carried out via browser. This situation occurs, it is worth remembering, in a context where mobile sales grew by 17% year-on-year, so that the apps are left with a more important portion of a volume, in turn, larger.
-From the app of concrete sales of greater value
Criteo's analysis reveals another interesting fact regarding the photo of a year ago: in the last twelve months, the average "desktop" sale remained at $ 100, the average mobile sale via browser contracted (from 98 to 91), while the average ticket of mobile sales through app grew strongly from $ 95 to $ 127. Thus, applications dethroned the "desktop", the once king of higher-value sales.
-The app generates more loyal users
Just as important as getting a customer is keeping them. That key slogan of business, is made closer thanks to the app. Criteo's report indicates that its users are twice as likely to return within 30 days than browser users. Higher retention means a better opportunity for creating more loyal consumers
-The apps are more effective throughout the entire purchase process
The so-called "purchase funnel" (all the stages that a customer goes through until the conversion is effectively completed) is more "passable" for application users, that is, there are fewer chances that an app user will abandon the process in any of its stages than the others. Finally, the conversion rate (the number of shoppers who completed a transaction) for app users is three times that of mobile browser users.
"Retailers or retailers that have been concerned with optimizing their mobile shopping experience with the development of an application that facilitates the process, are better positioned than their competition to add their clientele to the growing and active community of mobile shoppers. Those who have not yet done so should strive to provide this audience with a truly continuous mobile and multi-device experience that allows them to interact with users no matter where they are throughout the purchase process," said Alessander Firmino, Managing Director of Criteo Latin America and Brazil.
