How Can Retailers Inspire ‘Thumb-Stopping’ Mobile Shopping?
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.
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.