As what Willis shared, our future is definitely going mobile.
And we have Smartphones to thank for that.
The wide range of affordable applications and ease of web browsing have catalyzed the adoption of these amazing phones. Take iPhone for example, with it I can find the nearest drug store, watch YouTube videos, plan my bus routes and find a place for dinner. All while listening to the latest podcasts. Do you know what else people are doing with their Smartphones?
And it seems like Android users are more willing to part with their moolah than other phone users when it comes to M-commerce (note the difference in sample size.)
So how does Smartphones help with shopping? Looking for shipping information and address or store hours of stores topped the list. I have seen many of my friends use iPhone to search for store location in a huge shopping mall. I guess we no longer need mall directories!
For retailers, they have to be ready for this new trend. 28% of the people surveyed are making purchases on their Smartphones without seeing the product in store. This number is expected to go up. If retailers’ sites are not ready for mobile users (or they don’t even have a site to start with), they are not moving with the paradigm shift. We are not even talking about developing their own applications here. Retailers have to move fast or bite the dust.
Source: eMarketer
