How consumers shop on mobiles

Smartphones have changed not only people’s lives and the way people connect (does anyone remember the days without video calling?!) but they have also changed the way consumers behave and so it is important that retailers understand how to maximise the likelihood of a purchase by appreciating the users experience.

In recent years the growth of smartphone usage has risen significantly and as such this has seen a similar rise in consumers using their phones to both research and purchase products, to the point where more consumers use their smart devices more than PCs and laptops for researching a prospective purchase. Unsurprisingly the home is where the majority of this research is done. Before making a purchase, more than 50% of consumers admit that their phone is the go to device for researching.

Key factors in the decision making process include the ease of use of the site; if it is optimised for mobile, and the simplicity of the checkout process. A common reason for not making a purchase or abandoning a cart is forms are too lengthy and difficult to fill in.

This is where validation services can help. Data8’s PredictiveAddress solution enables the user to input their address simply and effortlessly. Rather than using the more traditional Postcode Lookup method of searching for an address from a postcode and selecting from a dropdown menu, that can often be quite awkward and reasonably annoying on a phones smaller screen, PredictiveAddress allows the user to start typing their address and PredictiveAddress uses ‘type ahead’ technology to autocomplete the address. This greatly improves the users experience and increases the chance of a sale.