Top 9 Mobile Shopping & Ecommerce Myths

There's been a lot of hype around ecommerce, but as we know in retail, people still love to shop brick-and-mortar. Even Amazon recognized this when they created their brick-and-mortar store in Seattle at the end of last year. 

Consumers in fact often buy online and pick up in store, the ol' click and brick behaviour. While others, choose to try in store and then go buy online. Whatever the case may be, independent retail entrepreneurs (IREs) are still thriving, in fact, just recently Nielson, published a fascinating study on small-box retail in terms of consumer preferences for common goods. The small box channel is itself growing! This isn't even considering the novelty lifestyle retail stores that I traditionally like to write about. 

What do Consumers Want - What do they Really Really Want?

In a world where we have gone mobile and are going to the cloud, what we as consumers want is actually more simplicity, convenience and that seamless omnichannel ease of transitioning from touchpoint to touchpoint. 

The customer journey depends on our mood, and shopping is often a social experience. The emotional engagement of our brand with your high-value customers is what's important. 

Back to Basics 

• Smooth check out
• Simplify overly complex mobile navigation on your site
• Make shipping costs ultra clear and readable 

Top Myths  

1- An App Can Save you

Mobile apps are a competitive ecosystem for the attention of the consumers. Will such an investment really produce ROI? Apps may increase engagement of your high-value customers, but not help you with customer acquisition. 

Gamified loyalty may see good results on an app, but for most stores it won't be worth it. 

2- More Features is Better

Customers want loading speed, even over video content. Focus on what consumers really care about: 

So while consumers like to browse products on their smartphones when they wake up in the morning, or at night on their tablet, brick-and-mortar retail still wins the majority of consumer decisions. 

It's a myth that what is mobile is necessarily better. Maybe when augmented reality improves the customer experience, we might see "augmented commerce" as another interesting layer of online retail. But until then, as an independent store owner you can rest assured taking care of the basics and getting on cloud POS and optimizing your store with a few select SaaS services, is more than enough. 

3- It's All About the Bling 

Marketers and retail technologists will try to convince you as a retail store owner that consumers want the flash, but it just isn't true. People will always comparison shop, and this now includes click and brick and brick to click. 

Instead, focus on solutions that can drive your store ROI and higher sales. 58% of customers still buy offline anyways. That's even competing with the likes of Amazon. The emotional customer experience of your store can beat price, convenience and the human interaction is valuable. 

4- DIY can Improve Customer Experience

Instead of trying to cut costs with staff or optimize ecommerce, think about the customer journey. Will they be less tempted to come back if you store or check-out process is too mechanical?

How can you create delightful Cx that is emotionally salient to them in their relationship with your brand? Use technology that boosts your customer service, not that reduces human staff. 

5- Ecommerce alone is Viable 

There was that idea floating around a few years ago that an Ecommerce startup was a good idea. But it's totally a congested market now. A website is just a small part of a business plan, remember that. Digital touchpoints are important, but it's rare they can replace a tradition that has been going on for thousands of years, offline shopping. After all, there is only one Amazon, it's all been done.

6- The Traffic will be all the Rage

Sometimes online business startups are overly optimistic about the ease of acquiring traffic. The best website, with the best showcasing and the cheapest products are not enough. The mechanism of gaining online traffic is changing very rapidly and the online marketplace has a lot of competition now. 

Nothing is automatic, successful Ecommerce requires professional grade SEO, SEM, PPC and so forth. 

7- Product Information is Limited on Mobile 

This myth sometimes contributes to offering too much or too little information on your products. Both are equally erroneous. Making a purchase requires a sweet spot between text and visual content, between consumer generated content and UGC and native branding. 

Product descriptions are your CTA in mobile shopping, so do it smart. 

8- Low Prices are the End all be All 

It's intuitive to think low prices would be the best selling factor. However the variables are very complex and specific to the retail segment, your audience and their personas. Your branding is a greater determinant. An engaging storefront? A great customer journey? Amazing customer support or customer service? It all matters. 

9- English is Universal 

The reality is consumers want to read in their native tongue, and who can blame them? If you went to a brick and mortar store and they only spoke English and not the language of the country or the region, how appealing with that be? Since mobile shopping is often an international audience, you'll want to have adequate language support that caters to your top demographics. 

Less than 30% of online buyers purchase from web stores that are not in their native language

Brick and Mortar vs. Mobile Shopping  

If you are an apple, don't compare yourself to an orange, just be a better apple! 

Here are some snippets for independent retail entrepreneurs to keep in mind: 

• You don't need an app to compete 
• A loyalty rewards program will not work by magic 
• Learn how to please your high-value customers 
• Send campaigns that are actionable with incentives that match the customer's preferences 
• Get on a cloud POS system, preferably one that is retailer centric
• Explore cloud POS API integrations that show potential (such as a SaaS that is data-centric)
• Do your research, before investing in a solution that cannot demonstrate ROI
• Focus on white-label efforts that promotes your brand and keep your customer data safe and in-store. (avoid "blue-label" 3rd party loyalty initiatives that give your consumer just another card in their wallet)
• Don't fight battles with imaginary monsters (brick vs. click). Consumers are using these in tandem. 

Human to Human Marketing (h2h)

More than half of consumers use their smartphone in-store

• Self-service is not a replacement for a pleasant shopping experience. 
• Shopping and delightful Cx are still emotional and social events, at the end of the day. 
• Nothing beats good customer service and staff that can educate you about their products and the lifestyle and story-telling related to your brand.