Mobile spending will only rise if usability improves

Wednesday, March 14, 2018 - 11:49 by Paul Tissington

A new survey from Worldpay has revealed that although more people in the UK are carrying out safe shopping online from smartphones than ever before, there are still opportunities for growth if retailers can optimise the m-commerce user experience.

Thirty one per cent of respondents said that they would be likely to splash out more of their cash through mobile shopping apps and sites if the process of doing so was more streamlined, according to Tamebay.

Thirty seven per cent said that they tended to use mobile sites for safe shopping online more than retailer-specific apps. This ties into the fact that on average people in the UK have just seven apps installed on their handsets, which is lower than the 10 apps that international users have typically downloaded.

For Brits, the main m-commerce obstacle that needs to be addressed is the checkout. Lengthy or complicated transactions can put off consumers from this country far quicker than people from elsewhere in the world.

Report spokesperson, Shane Happach, said that UK mobile users not only download fewer apps, but also have less hesitance about deleting apps which do not meet expectations or are not convenient from day to day.

Because of this, experts argue that retailers really need to focus on making sure that their apps are easy to use, while also remembering that plenty of people prefer to shop within their smartphone’s browser.

If a website is not well optimised, mobile visitors will be unlikely to make a purchase. Likewise, if an app is difficult to use, lumbered with an arduous checkout process or not up to the high standards that British shoppers expect, retailers will need to take action to address these issues if they want to keep the m-commerce market on an upwards trajectory.