M-Commerce Bounce Rates

There are over 1 billion subscriptions for mobile devices in the world; soon, more people will access the Internet via their phone, iPod, or tablet than they do from their desks and laptops.  E-commerce has exploded and made giants of sites like eBay and Amazon. Not surprisingly, m-commerce has taken off as well. According to the IMRG Capgemini Quarterly Index, m-commerce sales grew from .04 percent of total e-commerce sales to more than 8 percent.  That 2000 percent increase is impressive – but there’s a flip side to success. Bounce rates have also risen.

According to the IMRG report, bounce rates for e-commerce sites, from 2010 to 2011, increased from 21 percent to 27 percent, or its highest rate to date.  In other words, people are more likely to bounce from a mobile than from a desktop or laptop. IMRG’s chief information officer, Tina Spooner, says, “These figures show that consumers are becoming ever more demanding when finding the online experiences that suit them.”  Does your site suit them?

• Upgrading to HTML5 may help decrease bounce rates by up to 15 percent.
• Eddie Bauer has found success in offering mobile users incentives when they shop online, such as coupon codes for free shipping or a discount.
• Focus on anytime accessibility over cutting-edge design. You’ve got to be quick, quick, quick.
• Make offline and online experiences seamless. Ensure customers can look up reviews and ratings while they shop in the physical location; provide QR codes. Offer incentives online for users who come into a physical location.
• Keep track of your stats. Where are users bouncing off?  Which pages should you focus more attention on?
• Cut load time, make navigation easy and quick, and employ the same types of tricks and tips that you would for your regular site.

M-commerce is only going to grow as more users go mobile. Are you ready?