Retailers have been trying to make an impact using mobile but have largely failed to capture their audience. While at least 61% of users who were recently polled have used a retail app in the last month before making a purchase, those users are not remaining loyal to the retailers, nor necessarily converting on the purchases researched in the store.
Another recent study conducted by ARC from Applause concluded: “Just seven retailers earned average app quality scores of 67 or greater with more than 4,000 user reviews”. Perhaps this is because retailers are primarily trying to recreate their online presence via mobile, rather than adapting their offerings to take advantage of the opportunities mobility provides.
We’ve identified the two main reasons why retail apps fail to succeed and our recommended actions to make them better.
Failure to Develop an Integrated Digital Strategy
Problem: As noted above, most retails do not have a clear mobile strategy for their brand. They are relying on traditional marketing strategies that have worked in the past on the web and creating a mobile app based solely on that.
Solution: Our mobile strategy and roadmap approach assists organizations in figuring out how to make the most of mobile as part of an entire integrated marketing plan. This approach allows organizations a larger view of how mobile fits into their overall business objectives.
Does not Leverage Mobile Capabilities to Improve User Experience
Problem: Poorly designed apps and a lack of cohesive user experience are the main reasons users abandon retail apps.
Solution: Aligning marketing and customer support is key to user experience and adoption of retail apps. We work with organizations to better combine these two goals for an app that is easy to use and also keeps users engaged.
Let Pervasive Path lead you through an Art of the Possible Workshop to explore how to incorporate these and other concepts into your retail enterprise mobile strategy.
