Mobile commerce to take pride of place this Black Friday

Source: Pexels

Mobile commerce (m-commerce) currently controls over two-thirds of the global e-commerce market, and this trend is on the rise in South Africa. More consumers now prefer to use smartphones to buy products online, more specifically via mobile apps, which have been shown to have a lower cart abandonment rate, and higher sales conversions.

“The respondents in our survey revealed that it’s just more convenient and quicker to be able to shop from their phones from anywhere at any time,” says Kegan Peffer, CEO of Adoozy Power, a national mobile rental network.

“This is testimony to our on-the-go lifestyles, and that being digitally connected and remote capable is a top priority for modern consumers. It highlights how important it is for brands to invest or reinvest in their mobile user experience. For most Black Friday shoppers, researching prices, comparing deals, adding to carts, making payments, and tracking orders will happen using mobile apps.”

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What shoppers plan to spend

Despite the enthusiasm for this year’s Black Friday shopping days, retailers are remiss to think that they won’t have to compete hard to win sales from cash-strapped consumers.

Forty-eight percent of South Africans surveyed acknowledge that the current cost of living is eating into their end-of-year shopping budgets, but almost 50% optimistically say that they will likely spend more during Black Friday 2022 than they did last year. Sixty-five percent said they are planning to spend between R500 and R5,000, while 12% are planning to spend over R5,000.

The most popular shopping categories on the Black Friday wish list are clothes, electronics, and groceries, with 42% of the survey respondents citing concern that a low battery will interfere with their shopping aspirations. In comparison, 25% are worried about the impact of load shedding on their shopping this year.

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Below, Peffer shares three m-commerce trends that can drive sales for retailers this shopping season:

1. In-app shopping: Mobile apps can operate up to six times faster than mobile websites, which is why consumers prefer them to web browser shopping. In fact, research from the US shows that a mobile app can convert up to 157% more than a mobile web session.
2. Social commerce – Instagram and Facebook shopping still takes the lead as the most popular social platforms to shop from, followed by Tik Tok and Pinterest. Retailers should capitalise on this by ensuring they have a seamless socials shopfront. Furthermore, social platforms enable brands to target their audience very precisely with the use of social ad tools.
3. Added value with CX – Today’s customers value anything that can save them time, money, and stress. This is why customer-centricity should be a priority with a mobile-first approach. The mobile CX checklist for retailers can include drivers such as personalisation, beneficial in-app marketing promotions, as well as innovative solutions to address power pain points.