Recent data from Klarna reveals that 70% of UK consumers shop more often on their mobiles than they did pre-pandemic and more than any other country in Europe, says Justin Biddle, UK Lead at Shopware. While Klarna is better known for its connections to the fashion sector, the growth in mobile usage is also rising in other key retail categories such as grocery, with recent data showing that 55% of consumers who shop for groceries online do so using mobile devices.
This is an interesting shift in consumer online behaviour, that indicates the importance for brands and retailers to ensure they have a strong online offering. This must factor in how a website looks and feels on mobile, as well as how it translates to mobile apps to ensure consumers have a seamless online experience wherever they choose to shop.
Having a consistent shopping experience across platforms is imperative in the modern multi-channel shopping environment. The shopping experience is no longer linear and shoppers enjoy the flexibility of easily switching between devices, perhaps browsing for an item on desktop before switching to mobile to make that purchase through an app while a consumer is on the go.
The grocery sector is arguably one of the best retail sectors to capitalise on the demand for mobile apps as grocery shopping is a regular and routine task. This means grocers are much more likely to be successful in claiming mobile ‘real-estate’ – a permanent spot on a customer’s phone. Grocers should therefore place more care and attention to enhancing their in-app performance and shopping experience. This includes sharing real-time data and information for customers on stock levels, ensuring that all images and product information are optimised for this platform to help customers make an informed choice, and that promotions and deals are clearly signposted. Functions like shopping lists, favourites and the ability to easily see (and repeat) previous orders are also important because handling large baskets (as grocery transactions often are) with only a limited screen size is always challenging.
As well as the aforementioned, one of the biggest benefits of having mobile real estate is the ability to communicate with customers through push notifications. For example, if a grocer has a special deal for a specific category that week, or for summer BBQs or Father’s Day related products on promotion. Not only can these push notifications keep the supermarket top of mind with customers, but can increase engagement and sales if those customers decide to click through and make that purchase in the app. Merchants can also use this channel for the all important task of Customer Service – something that can really ‘move the dial’ in customer retention.
With growing concerns over inflation and the cost of living, consumers are going to be driven by price and value more than before, meaning retaining customer loyalty will be even more challenging. As grocers invest further in their mobile offerings, personalised in-app offers and strategic push notifications can make a difference in keeping your store front of mind. However, this must also be paired with an intuitive and highly functional in-app and mobile browser experience to ensure shoppers can easily manage what can be a complex transaction, and encourage them to return for the next weekly shop.
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