Should Your Business be Everywhere?

Flipkart, one of India's major e-commerce players took a big swing and a miss at going mobile only. The idea was to eliminate a desktop site, which meant customers were forced to use the mobile app (smartphone, tablet etc.,) or their mobile site. While both of them are extremely powerful in their own right and can handle all the tasks that a regular desktop browser can, there were some limitations. 

One of the reasons quoted was that the company could focus on supporting only one platform, thereby providing better experiences to customers. There was also a strong suspicion that the demographic that purchases through a mobile application is of a certain mindset - tech savvy and to an extent, higher net worth. The vision at large by the top management was one of customers having a phone over a PC or better still, the number of times a phone is unlocked is significantly higher than anyone going through the pains of turning on a computer. Just look around, everyone is locking/unlocking their phone constantly (estimates suggest 110 times a day on an average), so the chances of them tapping on their app for an impulse purchase would be vastly more than someone visiting their site - on a daily basis. That would probably be restricted to need based shopping. 

Another strong reason for going app only would be to help tailor offers to their customers - geographic, demographic etc., Also, while we are on the topic of tailoring, a mobile app could help more customers sign up by mandating a log-in either through Google+, Facebook or numerous other services. Let us not forget, products displayed on a phone/tablet can be instantly shared via an IM client with friends and family - an idea around which Flipkart built an entire business. 

From the above - admittedly broad scope of ideas - going mobile only seems like a great option. It is a win-win in terms of revenue, savings and customer satisfaction. So why wasn't it accepted? 

Well, a brief summary of reasons can be as follows

• Users didn't want to load up their phones - With pretty much every service/product offering forcing customers to download apps for exclusive deals or by marketing heavily through cash backs, I guess many got frustrated with the idea of managing so many apps and subsequent alerts on their phones. I recall uninstalling apps to save myself the trouble, only to realize later that I didn't have it when needed the most. Mind you, we are talking about customers who may not exactly have an inclination towards technology, just having a smartphone does not make them that. 
• Small screen sizes - We love seeing products first hand before buying. Heck, my mother even examines the greens we buy everyday, so naturally, a look and feel of something so expensive, while not possible on any screen, should at least be detailed enough to help highlight features. This became more apparent when the portfolio was extended from phones and books to furniture, home appliances, etc., All phones are not created equal, which means smaller screen sizes do not lead to great experiences on this front. 
• Comparison is hard - Ever tried comparing two or more products on your phone? Despite great efforts and lot of resources being poured in, comparing products on a mobile app is a pain. Not limiting the comparison argument to within an app, customers also find it hard to compare similar/same products from other sellers/competitors (read constant switching of apps).

Above all this, there is another important factor in the form of usage and convenience. Many who use a browser on a desktop/laptop tend to be aware of how to use few options on a website. However, the average smartphone owner might not be inclined enough to learn the numerous swipes and taps, leaving him with a bitter experience and finally throwing in the towel about the purchase. 

The reason I am bringing up this topic is that Myntra - now owned by Flipkart is also re-launching it's desktop site with much fanfare from June/July, reaffirming my faith that a business should be everywhere. What if you are suddenly in the mood to shop? Should you be expected to pull out your phone despite having your monitor in front of you, go through details and then decide to buy? Wouldn't you have lost the impulse by then? 

Businesses are all about taking tough decisions, some work and some might backfire. However, in a day and age when everyone wants to be at the top, you cannot miss out on any channel, no matter how loss incurring it might seem. Choice - this is what the customer is after and to ensure you are in their consideration set, you need to talk to them wherever possible.