Ecommerce is going mobile: 38% of all ecommerce traffic during the first half of the year mobile devices and tablets, according to a report by ShopVisible.
ShopVisible said its customers saw an 18% overall increase in online revenue during the first half of the year, with a 42% increase alone in the month of June.
But despite the growing percentage of traffic, ecommerce conversion rates remain much lower on mobile devices and tablets, signaling a greater need to focus on an omnichannel user experience for all visitors, regardless of device.
ShopVisible attributes the significant increase in overall online revenue to data-driven merchandising and site optimization techniques implemented by its clients, which led to a 20% increase in total items sold as well as an 11% increase in number of items per transaction. Total website traffic from all sources increased by 9%, with 67% of site visits coming from new visitors.
As online businesses effectively attracted new customers with SEO strategy and marketing efforts, it is clear that many have also invested in user experience, as conversion rates held steady overall – 2% on average – despite growth in new customers, which typically results in lower conversion rates.
In its previous benchmarking report, ShopVisible identified an increasing amount of mobile site traffic on its client sites, a trend that has grown 8% since 2013. With only a slight increase in orders from mobile devices and tablets, the new report signals that consumers are increasingly browsing from these devices but have yet to transact in the same way as they would in a traditional browser/web experience.
Additionally, average order values remain much lower on mobile devices than those on a desktop or laptop, emphasizing a significant opportunity for online retailers to increase overall revenue from mobile devices and tablets through optimization.