Marks and Spencer top mCommerce league
Multichannel retailer Marks and Spencer has topped the overall league table in the second ever mCommerce benchmark study.
The study, undertaken by eDigitalResearch, assessed the shopping process on both optimised and non-optimised sites, looking at first impressions through to product delivery. Results show that general customer satisfaction with the end to end mobile journey is starting to increase as retailers invest heavily in the channel. However, mComemrce still has a considerable way to go to rival more established online platforms.
Derek Eccleston, Research Director at eDigitalResearch, explains, “With the popularity of smart devices set to continue growing, more and more retailers are now developing mCommerce sites to facilitate shopping on the move.
As we continue to witness a MEcommerce revolution, where people are now able to dictate to retailers how, where and when they shop, it is essential that browsing and shopping via a smart device is quick and simple, yet provides the same functionality and design as a retailers standard website accessed via a PC”.
Marks and Spencer offer mobile consumers a practical mCommerce site, gaining an overall score of 88.8%, improving on their second place 86.8% in the initial study back in September 2010. Their keyword search allows users to refine and filter results quickly and easily, whilst their product pages offer a condensed and compacted version of the standard web pages.
Feedback conclusively shows whilst shoppers prefer the usability of a mobile optimsied site, they still favour the design, style and appeal of a standard website. First impressions was the worst performing section with an average score of 76%, highlighting the continued investment and development needed from retailers in order to match their online counterparts.
Derek continues, “It is encouraging that after our first study retailers are already learning from recent mistakes, adapting their mobile strategies in order to meet the expectations of mobile savvy shoppers. However, it is essential that as smart device ownership continues to increase, brands continue to invest in the platform in order to encourage purchases and increase brand advocacy”.
Worryingly, some retailers, such as Waitrose, are confusing and complicating the mobile journey and limiting shoppers to certain product ranges, despite developing an mCommerce site.
The results highlight that retailers need to be offering consumers a seamless journey across all channels, including mobile platforms. Comments conclusively show that shoppers expect the same experience that they are accustom to online and on the high street.
