27 November 2017
Apps are back!
The mobile has become an important media for the consumers when shopping. But it is no longer enough to have a fluid design on the webshop - apps have once again become a hit.
This was one of the big topics on the European e-commerce conference Global E-commerce Summit which Hesehus participated in earlier this year. Previously, apps were for games, social media and news. When the consumers were shopping, they would use their browser and often Google to search for products and in this way access various webshops.
Higher expectations
Today, smartphones are an important media where young people and families with young children in particular are increasingly searching for and purchasing products in their preferred webshops. As a result, many e-sellers have taken a proactive step towards M-commerce with optimisation of fluid design on their webshops, allowing the consumers to have the best experience, irrespective of from which media they are accessing the webshop. But the consumer behaviour has changed and fluid design is no longer enough for the consumers who shop via smartphones.
Your favourite shop is just one click away
The consumers have taken apps to heart and are now also using them to access their preferred webshops using just one click. In this way, they have removed all the trouble of having to use the browser to find their favourite shop. According to a survey prepared by Opera Mediaworks, 37% of the mobile shoppers prefer to shop from an app, whereas 23% prefer to shop via a mobile browser. The reason why so many consumers prefer to shop via apps is that it is more convenient, it is faster and their settings are stored so that news, recommendations and inspiration are personalised for the individual user of the app. This is also the reasons why apps are an excellent media to create loyal customers. The consumers feel that the retailer knows them and their style, recommends relevant products and builds a close relationship with the individual customer.
Satisfy the customers’ needs before they arise
It is not only in the shopping phase that the consumers reach for the small electronic companion. The consumers have become so crazy about using their smartphones that the entire consumer journey – from inspiration to purchase and possible repurchase – takes place via the mobile unit. It is therefore more important than ever to also be the consumers’ preferred source of inspiration when they are searching for new trends and tendencies. By offering inspiring and personalised content and products in your app, you can satisfy the consumers’ needs before they arise and thereby win the consumers when they swipe through your apps to become inspired.
Apps are the best medicine for boredom
Apps are very much used as a source of entertainment while we wait for the bus, sit in the waiting room at the dentist or are on a long train ride across the country. It is not because we necessarily have a need for shopping but more likely a need for entertainment – and here it is not the browser we use but the apps we have already downloaded to our mobile units. This means more sales if you e-sellers can also catch the consumers when they have a need for entertainment and not just a need for shopping.
// Asos //
One of the companies that has been successful with its app, is Asos, which offers a wide range of products within fashion and beauty. The company has managed to develop an app which has created a lot of loyal customers and which is loved by many consumers all over the world. Asos has also managed to unite its app and its webshop giving the customers the best experience, irrespective of platform.
When webshop and app merge
With a personal login that can be used in the webshop via a browser as well as in the app, it is possible for the customers to continue the shopping journey on any platform, regardless of where they started. For example, if the customers save a dress on the Asos app, it will be stored in 'Saved Items' regardless of where the customers access Asos from – whether it is the webshop via the browser on the computer, tablet or smartphone or via the app.
If the customers leave the webshop or the app with products in the basket, Asos will store them in the basket for an hour after which the products will automatically be transferred to ‘Saved Items’, allowing the customers to return to the products at any time and complete the purchase without having to find the products again.
Personalised app for loyal customers
Via ’My Recommendations’, Asos recommends products for the customers based on the search history, i.e. products which match other products which the customers have previously shown an interest in. It is also possible for the customers to continue using the 'Recently viewed’ feature. Both features help the customers through personalised recommendations by shortening the process from inspiration to the purchasing decision.
Through ‘Shop by Occasion’, the customers can be inspired by products for certain occasions or seasons. In this way, it is easy for the customers to find the right outfit for a party, work, holidays or winter and in this way, Asos holds the customers’ hands and guides them through the optimal shopping journey.
The electronic omni-channel
It is no longer enough to be present with a webshop with a fluid design which adjusts to the various units used by the consumers, neither is it enough to have a shop as an app which the consumers need to download to buy products. Today, it is more a question of being present on all the platforms where your customers may shop and thereby unite the platforms to optimise the shopping journey for the customer. By creating an omni-channel – not only between physical shops and e-shops – but also between the various electronic platforms, you can create a shopping journey which is easy, convenient and personal for your customers every time. They will love you for it!
Are you interested in hearing more about how to cultivate your niche and become the customers' preferred webshop? We would like to invite you for a cup of coffee or we can visit you for a non-binding talk.
Please contact CEO, Lars Hedal, at +45 40 25 50 83 or write to hedal@hesehus.dk
More news