As marketers and advertisers continue to think ahead of the innovation curve, many are finding themselves still trying to make the first leap from desktop to mobile and back again to convert sales. Yes, “mobile first” is the mantra, however the pain points of succeeding in a mobile first era are very real for retailers across the board.
We recently discussed this issue at Criteo Live NYC, where agency and brand side representatives gave us an in-depth look at how they’re addressing the move to mobile first. Criteo executives provided their expertise in how to tackle steps in creating a successful mobile first campaign, while still ensuring that conversions across other channels thrive in tandem.
Focus First on Online Customer Engagement
Consumers today have grown accustomed to receiving ads and messages that are tailored to their browsing and purchasing history. Because of this, personalization is a major component to customer engagement – it’s practically demanded. Brands must communicate with consumers in a hyper-relevant manner in order to achieve success.
However, the personalization is not just necessary on one channel. To keep up with the demands of the 24/7 multi-device shopper, retailers need to be able to engage with customers in a consistent and complementary way in-store, on a website, through a mobile app, and via social media. If a message is not relevant to the consumer, it will simply be ignored.
Enhance Capabilities to Allow for Mobile Commerce
Retailers that are traditionally brick and mortar or catalog order are finding themselves navigating the world of ecommerce for the first time, especially mobile first e-commerce. Mobile transactions are growing rapidly - in Q4 2014, mobile accounted for 27 percent of retail ecommerce transactions in the US and in Q1 2015, that figure has risen to reach almost 30 percent.
By enhancing mobile offerings – whether that be optimizing a mobile site or redesigning for minimal clicks to browse and purchase – and targeting consumers shopping on mobile devices with personalized messaging, retailers will quickly see the positive impact that mobile commerce has on their bottom line.
Disrupt Email Marketing
Email is the number two online activity in time spent (29 minutes), second to social networks, and is actually the leading driver of ecommerce sales. This may be surprising to those who are witnessing the declining click rate and transaction rate. However, the email open rate is actually increasing 4.6 percent on average year over year. Two thirds of those emails are opened on mobile devices. Why? The constant increase in mobile adoption across all consumer segments and the evolution of developing email campaigns with the intricacies of mobile devices in mind, such as various screen sizes.
Success in ecommerce is almost universally dependent on effective marketing practices on mobile devices. However, it’s all too real for many that achieving “mobile first” is a steeper road to navigate. The challenges exist, but the future is bright for retailers who are taking the necessary steps to innovate and evolve to meet consumers’ demands and expectations.
