Mobile ecommerce continues to grow around the world and now 55% of British online retail takes place on smartphones and tablets. In particular, the popularity of shopping apps is at the centre of the trend.
As the report shows, particularly Northern Europe and Japan, mobile transactions now represent more than 50% of online transactions. It is also clear now that the Asia Pacific region (APAC) has been a clear leader in mobile transactions (51%) but all other regions continue to catch up, including Europe (now 44%) and the Middle East & Africa (47%). Shopping apps also greatly increase conversion for retailers: in North America, the conversion rate on shopping apps is more than three times higher than on mobile web.
Retailers around the world are continuing to see shopper preferences shift as they become more reliant on the convenience and personalization that in-app commerce experiences can offer. Yet as in-app sales rise, it’s imperative for retailers to understand that simply launching an app does not necessarily mean that it is going to yield immediate returns. Our Q2 Global Commerce Review found a strong correlation between in-app transaction growth and retailers that develop and commit to an ongoing shopping app promotion strategy.
– Jonathan Opdyke, Chief Strategy Officer, Criteo
Apps represent a particular challenge to merchants. They can be expensive to develop and produce and not likely to offer a solid return on investment in the near-term. That’s why the marketplace apps are so useful to ensure you’re plugging into this trend but also don’t forget that increasingly good mobile versions, and even dedicated apps, of your online store are available from your web shop provider. Indeed, if you are investing in an online shop, ensuring that the mobile interface is effective makes enormous sense.
You can look at a country by country version of the findings here. The survey included input from 5,000 retailers in more than 80 countries and took place during the second quarter of 2018.
