BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - Dec 12, 2012) - While Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2012 proved that mobile commerce is growing steadily, new research reveals that the top 20 brick-and-mortar retail brands still fall short of consumers' expectations for fast, well-designed and functional mobile apps and websites. "The Mobile Shopping Satisfaction Report," an independent consumer study commissioned by Mobiquity (www.mobiquityinc.com), found that, of the top 20 retailers, the mobile experience at Apple Stores, Best Buy and Kohl's ranked highest for satisfaction among consumers shopping via smartphones and tablets. However, the study also revealed that these retailers' apps and mobile sites are often slow to load, challenging to navigate and error-prone at checkout. An infographic illustrating the findings can be found at http://mobiquityinc.com/mRetail-experience.
Mobiquity, a professional services firm creating innovative mobile solutions and apps that drive business value, commissioned Equation Research to survey 1,000 smartphone and tablet owners about their mobile shopping experiences during the last six months at the top 20 brick-and-mortar retailers (according to STORES Magazine). Key findings from the research included:
- Satisfaction is strong: Apple Stores, Best Buy and Kohl's scored the highest for delivering satisfying mobile shopping experiences, followed by Target, Wal-Mart, CVS, Sears, Lowe's and Macy's.
- Unsatisfactory mobile shopping experienced directly impacts brand loyalty and future revenues: 41 percent of smartphone owners and 43 percent of tablet owners claimed that they would be less likely to shop at a retailer if they had a poor experience using their mobile app or mobile website.
- The user experience and technical performance of retailers' mobile apps and sites need work: Among those that had unsatisfactory experiences, slow to load apps and mobile websites were the chief culprit. Half complained that smartphone apps were too slow and 67 percent said that tablet apps were also too slow. Additionally, 65 percent said that smartphone-accessed mobile websites were slow, compared to 45 percent who stated the same about tablet-accessed mobile websites. Navigation was an issue for both smartphone and tablet owners: 35 percent said smartphone apps were tough to navigate, compared to 24 percent of tablet apps. Thirty-two percent said navigation was problematic on smartphone mobile websites, rising to 39 percent for tablets. And, for 57 percent of tablet owners, the checkout process was complicated or did not work at all.
- Wal-Mart is the brand most browsed and shopped via mobile devices: 28 percent of smartphone owners had browsed at Wal-Mart, compared to 32 percent of tablet owners. Twenty-three percent used their smartphones to make a purchase from Wal-Mart, while 24 percent used their tablets to transact. Target and Best Buy ranked second and third for smartphone purchasing, while Best Buy and Apple Stores ranked second and third for tablet purchasing.
- Consumers mix and match their paths to purchase: After browsing retailers' mobile apps and mobile sites on their smartphones, 32 percent completed their purchase in-store while 66 percent purchased through other channels (27 percent via smartphone, 20 percent via tablet, and 19 percent online via computer). And after browsing retailers via their tablets, 33 percent went on to make the purchase on their tablet, 27 percent in-store, 21 percent on smartphones and 19 percent online via computer. Conversely, 41 percent purchased via their mobile devices after browsing in-store. Thirty-one percent cited cheaper prices as their motivation, 19 percent said the product was not in-stock and 13 percent because lines at checkouts were too long.
"Today's consumer has multiple paths to purchase and their mobile shopping experiences not only drive revenue through mobile channels, but also influence in-store and online sales," said Andrew Hiser, Chief Creative Officer at Mobiquity. "It is the retailer's prerogative to build seamless and consistent offline, online and mobile shopping experiences, so that wherever and however the customer chooses to shop, it is a positive experience. Because so much of customer loyalty is tied to the brand experience, it's key -- especially during the holiday season where so much attention is being paid to mobile commerce -- that retailers deliver the best possible mobile shopping experience and ensure the sale."
About Mobiquity
Mobiquity is a professional services firm working with the Global 2000 to create innovative mobile solutions and apps that drive business value. Clients benefit from the breadth and depth of the company's cross-disciplinary teams to unleash the power of mobile. Integrating strategy, user-experience design and app development, Mobiquity delivers across the entire mobile ecosystem, driving business innovation and competitive advantage. Since its inception, Mobiquity's client roster has surged to more than 70 companies (the majority hailing from the Fortune 500), including CVS, Boston Scientific, Fidelity Investments, MetLife, the New York Post, Putnam Investments and Weight Watchers International. Mobiquity was named by Network World as one of the hot technology startups to watch in 2012. SAP also selected Mobiquity as a partner to help customers develop and implement mobile strategies and applications that optimize investments in SAP enterprise solutions. To learn more, visit www.mobiquityinc.com.