Websites not been optimised for tablets suffer a far lower rate of conversion compared to one that has been optimised for the device, says research
Only half of UK top 100 online retail websites have optimised for mobile versus all of the highest ranked US retailers, shows a new study.
Retailer's websites that have not been optimised for tablet experience a far lower rate of conversion compared to one that has been specifically optimised for the device, showed the research from Skava, a mobile app company and provider of multi-touch point retail technology.
The research showed that retailers need to be able to respond quickly to the ever-shifting digital landscape and influx of new devices, by making sure their e-commerce website is not only working properly, but optimised for conversion across all devices.
'Our recent findings show that European retailers have been slower to optimise their mobile websites, despite the demands from their customers and the revenue potential of catering to their needs,' said Arish Ali, Skava CEO. Skava, which is headquartered in San Francisco, US, has recently opened a European office in London, UK to cater for its global client base as well as to offer its solutions to European retailers to address this gap in retail solutions.
'Mobile commerce is in its second wave in the US as retailers continually advance and improve on their mobile websites. Retail executives in the UK have started to realise the importance of providing optimised mobile and tablet experiences for their customers, and that is why Skava has entered the UK market at the right time to support retailers in this quest,' continued Ali.
Today revenue from mobile accounts for over 1% of all online sales in Europe, but this is growing at a compound rate of 43.1%, according to figures from Forrester Research (EU Mobile Commerce Forecast, 2012 To 2017, July 2012). Forrester estimates that by 2017, revenue from mobile will account for 6.8% or Euro 19 billion in revenue.
Commented Martin Gill, Forrester analyst: 'A number of factors encourage and inhibit the adoption of mobile commerce; consumer trust, the convenience and value proposition of mobile shopping, the ease of payment and the availability of products at the right price. European e-business executives in many countries have been slow to provide mobile-optimised experiences and these factors, both supply and demand, will continue to limit the opportunities (Forrester Research, EU Mobile Commerce Forecast, 2012 To 2017, July 2012).'
