Apple are top dog again
The “Supply & Demand of the Mobile Web for Retail” report from Brand Anywhere and Luth Research found that web retailers could increase consumer engagement by 85% simply by adding a mobile-specific website.
“Our Mobile Omnibus Survey shows that nearly one in two consumers are more likely to do business with a retail store if the store has a mobile website,” said Roseanne Luth, CEO of Luth Research.
Which for anyone reading this website shouldn’t be surprised by, however what is surprising is how few retailers are ready for mobile. Of the sites surveyed just 4.8% of US retailers have mobile-specific websites and less than a quarter (22.8%) of the top retail websites in the US have mobile-specific websites. We’re willing to gamble that if a similar survey was conducted in the UK the results would be strikingly similar.
You use Flash!
As well as this lack of mobile-ready sites the survey also looked at the use of Flash on retail sites. Many businesses make the excuse that they don’t need a mobile-friendly site as sites are viewable on smartphones or tablets like the iPad. However as we all know Flash doesn’t work on nearly all iPhones, iPod Touches and iPads, and according to Luth Research, 45% of Android users cannot see Flash because they have not installed the Android 2.2 upgrade.
The research found that
- 20.8% of all U.S. retailers show Flash to iPhones
- 44% of the Internet Retailer Top 500 show Flash to iPads
- 36% of the Alexa Top 500 Shopping sites show Flash to iPads
As the survey says “retailers who show Flash to these devices are surrendering this point of influence to their competitors.”
If you’re a retailer and you have Flash on your site and you’re not mobile-friendly then email us at consult@bmob.co.uk
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