The rise of m-commerce and how should you play the game to your advantage

The mobile commerce market in India is set to reach a massive $19 billion by 2019 from the current $2 billion, according to a report by market research firm Zinnov. It has also been observed that since 2014, there has been a dramatic increase in mobile sales, as customers are becoming more and more comfortable buying products and services from their mobile phones. That being said, m-commerce needs your attention! Mobile devices are continuing to change the way we shop, which also means that the relationship between mobile and commerce is changing. There are huge opportunities in this sector, and with a few tricks up your sleeve in managing your e-commerce store on mobile, you can take your business to surging heights.

Keep it simple

Internet mobile speeds aren’t as fast as desktop connections, which is why web pages on mobile phones tend to load a little slower. While building your site, this fact must be kept in mind. If you build a site that is too large or includes too many features, there is a possibility that your mobile site will be slow, creating delays and blockades for your customers. If they don’t enjoy the first few experiences, then there’s a very good chance that they’re not coming back to your site, let alone make a purchase. Therefore, keep it simple by implementing only the basic features and maintaining a clean and uncluttered interface by keeping the clicks to a minimum.

Build an app

These days, simply having a mobile optimised site, no matter how well designed it is, just isn’t enough. In order to maximise mobile sales, it is now imperative to create an app. An app offers your customers faster, sleeker, and a more user-friendly way to shop your products. There are other important advantages of having an app for your e-commerce business. For one, your brand will be more visible to the customers. This means that once the users are convinced to download your app on their phones, your app will be constantly visible when they use their phones. Another advantage of having an app is that you can directly and instantly speak to your customers, for instance, about sales and promotions, through features such as push notifications.

Streamline the checkout process

On a desktop site, it isn’t too much of a bother if you have to type in a bit of information during the checkout process. However, when it comes to a mobile site or an app, your customers will not be too pleased to find out that after having added the items they want to buy, they have to go through an intermittent process where they are asked to fill in many fields on a compact screen with small-sized keypad. One of the main ideas behind a mobile store is to offer a quicker and smoother experience. Therefore, it is essential that the users are allowed a streamlined and hassle-free transaction. Not making it mandatory for them to register before purchases is one way of doing it. For registered users, allow them to store their addresses and payment details to make for simpler for them to make purchases in the future.

Customer support counts

While creating your mobile site and app for your e-commerce store, ensure that you have a dedicated customer support section that is tailored especially to mobile users. Whether it’s having an effective FAQ section or using features like live chat, you should make your customers feel like help is very close at hand should they need it. Mobile shopping is all about being on-the-go and live chats are a great way to be in tune with the times. This will definitely increase their trust in your brand.

Opt for outsourcing

If you’re feeling overworked trying to manage your e-commerce store on mobile, then perhaps it's time you considered outsourcing. While it's great to be able to be hands-on about each and every aspect of your store, things can easily get difficult this way and you might find that you’re not able to get the output that you want from the store. On the other hand, if you have fewer engagements to tackle on your own, it will be much simpler for you to manage your store, while being able to monitor the different departments effectively. Some of the areas that you can outsource are customer service, logistics, digital marketing and communications.