The ecommerce landscape is constantly changing for retailers, and with it, the way consumers shop.
More and more consumers are shopping online than ever before, and ecommerce websites need to set up their games.
Modern consumers no longer do their online shopping on all desktops or laptops. In 2021 alone, 58% of all online visits to ecommerce websites came from smartphones, according to ContentSquare (Opens in new tab). It is very important that your brand has an app that facilitates the journey of the customer and ensures that it is suitable for the purpose.
Customers want and expect a smooth and consistent brand experience when shopping online and brands need to meet this demand.
It is no longer appropriate for a brand to have just the right items, with an average digital product at the right price. And a huge part of that digital product is a usable app that integrates with your website.
Why Multi-Device Continuity is Important for Ecommerce Sites
Customers want easy access, and more so when it comes to online shopping.
Making sure your customers have a smooth path, choosing their items to checkout boasts many benefits, including more conversions, and that’s where multi-device continuity works.
Multi-device continuity involves the ability for a customer to open your app and get back to where they left off on your website. Don’t lose items from your basket, and for retailers, there is a greater chance of conversion and less risk of abandoning the cart.
Research from July 2021 Sales bicycles (Opens in new tab) Keep the latest cart abandonment rate above 80% with 26% cart abandonment due to ‘long or complicated process’. The difficulty with checkout is that the cost of the brand and allowing the user to make purchases and transfers from different devices is a key step in eliminating the problem.
As mentioned above, there is a need for a consistent brand experience and the tips below will help ecommerce sites maximize your app and website performance.
There are four ways ecommerce websites can integrate apps
1. There is no app for it – add customer experience to it
If you want to serve modern consumers then having an ecommerce site as well as an integrated app is essential.
But it is important that the app is functional, serves a purpose and adds value to the customer. Adding app-specific functionality is a great way to differentiate your digital product and offer consumers something different, encouraging them to press the download button.
Amazon recently added a new feature to their app (Opens in new tab) Allows users to ‘try’ digital versions of shoes with new virtual reality features. Back in March, Walmart has launched similar products (Opens in new tab) A virtual try-on service available to both app and website users. The American retail brand has also started selling its ecommerce technology to SMB.
It’s important to customize your app to work alongside your website, but don’t be afraid to add some exclusive functionality to impress the user.
Offering something extra to the consumer in the form of app-specific functionality is ideal, but perhaps the most important thing in creating an uninterrupted customer journey from the website to the app is to ensure that the key features remain the same.
When a consumer downloads apps for your brand, they will see colors of the same brand, a familiar one UX design (Opens in new tab) And key features that are consistent with what is available on your website.
An example of this is the UberEats website and mobile experience. Regardless of the device through which the order is placed, Uber has integrated the driver tracking function between both its app and website, providing a familiar, key feature to the user regardless of the device.
You want users to feel familiar while downloading your app, not to be left out in the cold.
It has been said in a recently published report ContentSquare (Opens in new tab)The average conversion rate for desktops across all ecommerce industries is 3.7% while for mobile devices it has dropped to 2.2%, despite the majority of traffic coming from mobile users.
What does this mean?
Although the average ecommerce consumer tends to browse more on mobile devices, they are more likely to buy on the desktop. It simply emphasizes the importance of having a seamless customer journey and the continuity of the device.
A consumer should be able to start shopping on one device, and start shopping on another device from where they left off. Since this behavior is already being demonstrated by modern consumers, it would be foolish for retailers not to meet this demand and to offer a smooth transition from app to website.
Your website is the foundation on which your app will be designed and operated. They can and should work together.
A great way to redirect traffic to your app would be through your website. Digitally signposting where to download your app on your mobile site, for example, is a great way to encourage your mobile traffic to start using your app. Most website builders offer this as a service provider.
When users download your app, they will combine the same key features and brand experience as your mobile site but with even more functionality.
Is integrating your app and website important?
Absolutely. Not only is this important, but it is also important if brands are interested in connecting with modern consumers and continuing to meet their needs.
Consumers no longer accept the lengthy checkout process and restrictions on where and how they can shop. Already there are plenty of ecommerce platforms for their users and they are cutting rewards, Amazon is a prime example of this.
The Amazon app shares key features and functionality like a website, but gives easy access to on-the-go shopping without compromising user experience.
The focus will now be on moving away from the high street and into the digital future, as part of your ongoing marketing strategy to ensure that your digital offer acts as an integrated unit for a successful ecommerce site.
