M-commerce: agility and speed: the online commerce of the future?

70% of global online shoppers made purchases from their mobile devices in 2022, according to data provided by Statista. Mobile shopping is taking the sector by storm, and almost 10 years ago, in 2014, this figure was only 25%.

The same data provider details that, pending the closure of last year's figures, it is estimated that in 2022 it will have reached a global online sales turnover of 5.5 trillion dollars, exceeding the expected forecast by 1.5 trillion. In turn, the growth of m-commerce globally will be around 12%.

More and more users are turning to mobile devices as a means of searching and shopping online. According to the 'State of Mobile 2022' report by Data.ai, more than 2 million mobile apps were launched in 2022, bringing the total number of apps on iOS and Google to more than 21 million in the history of the Internet.

Customisation and the latest technology

In order to achieve a high number of online sales and turn simple visitors into repeat buyers, e-commerce mobile apps need to be on the cutting edge of trends. Nowadays it is essential for an online shop or marketplace to have its own app, but what should it incorporate to attract its target audience?

Built-in voice shopping: In 2022, voice command purchases generated around $40 million globally. According to Google and Amazon, households using smart speakers are expected to increase by 50% in the next year. This is a growing trend: simplifying shopping through voice commands. World-renowned social network TikTok is considering launching a new technology that will allow its users to make voice purchases through its app, according to Business Insider.

Augmented reality, real experience: It is now possible to shop online and feel as if you were shopping in person. Experts predict increases of up to 71% in online sales if an augmented reality tool is implemented in your shopping process. These are enriching experiences as they can show products to customers in a much more realistic way. In addition, this type of solution can have great potential for applications in the fashion or sports sector. According to data from the 'Adyen Retail 2022 Report', collected by Europa Press, five out of ten retailers consider virtual reality and augmented reality relevant as part of the process of digitalisation of their activities.

Artificial intelligence, advanced personalisation: Over the last few years, and also thanks to the boom in online shopping due to the pandemic, e-commerce has been updated by leaps and bounds and this has also meant that their online shopping apps have adapted to the new times. Artificial Intelligence (AI) has helped mobile apps to obtain data from their customers or visitors that they did not have until now. Thanks to AI, brands can learn about shopper behaviour, improve their ROI, optimise their search engines and optimise their ads. Throughout this year, the presence of ChatGPT has also been incorporated into the sector and some online shops such as Zalando are already studying its implementation, according to the publication EcommerceNews.

Social Media Shopping: live shopping: Also known as Live Shopping, this is the trend that allows purchases to be made while streaming live video from a social platform. According to Statista, this trend is expected to account for between 10% and 20% of total global sales by 2026. In addition, the analyst Coresight says that this year it will move some 480,000 million dollars in China and more than 35,000 million in the United States. This is a booming phenomenon and the time spent on live broadcasts via mobile applications has increased ninefold in the last four years.

Mobile presence and agility

This data highlights the importance for brands to bet on mobile sales and mobile applications. It is essential to show easy and simple purchasing procedures despite being on this type of device. The shopping cart should be displayed at all times and it should be easy to add or remove products. It is also important to offer a variety of payment methods and a checkout experience that is as fast and secure as possible. Failure to do so can lead to a significant increase in cart abandonment.

The user experience should be the same as if shopping on a desktop device. Mobile shopping is growing daily and is expected to continue to do so. The speed and agility they provide is unmatched by any other device.