Mobile shopping takes off over seas
If retailers have an eye for expanding over seas, it is crucial they consider all the differences between how people shop online and offline in these countries. For eCommerce retailers, responsive design, language, fulfillment options and culture must be carefully considered. For example, one recent survey conducted by IMRG Capgemini illustrated one of the clear differences between shoppers in the United States and the United Kingdom, mobile is crucial to engaging U.K. customers.
Although U.S. shoppers avidly use smartphones and tablets, the study found that more people shop retail sites on mobile devices than they do on computers. Approximately 52 percent of all retail site traffic in the U.K. originates from tablets and smartphones, while these devices also account for one-third of Web sales.
“Considering that as recently as 2010 mobile visits to e-retail sites accounted for less than 3 percent of traffic, this latest milestone represents staggering growth of 2,000 percent over the past 4 years,” says Tina Spooner, chief information officer at IMRG. “These results clearly demonstrate that retailers’ investment in mobile optimization is encouraging consumers to adopt mobile devices as a shopping platform.”
This is just one example that merchants must keep in mind as they expand their online presence internationally. Although retailers may offer products that pique the interests of foreign shoppers, they need to consider what devices foreign customers are using to shop for these products and the internet speeds available to them, as well as fulfillment options and cultural shopping behavior in order to optimize the international shopping experience.