This week IMRG released its sales forecast for Black Friday, predicting that £3.45bn, or 51%, of sales this year will to be completed through mobile devices. Michael Allen, VP EMEA, Dynatrace, looks at why mobile is now crucial to any retailer’s strategy this festive season.
IMRG’s Black Friday forecast shows just how critical the mobile shopping experience has become to retailers’ success. With over half of the £6.77bn expected to be spent during this year’s Black Friday coming through mobile devices, retailers simply cannot afford to disappoint customers with a slow mobile-site or a buggy mobile app.
In an ultra-competitive retail market, the digital performance of mobile services has become a key differentiator, making all the difference between a satisfied customer and an abandoned shopping cart. Our own research has found that nearly half (47%) of consumers will only give an app three seconds to load before they give up and go elsewhere, whilst nearly a third (32%) will never try it again if it doesn’t work the first time.
As such, it is critical for retailers to build in performance from the start and to continuously test mobile services from the user’s perspective, to ensure they can spot any potential problems before customers are affected. Getting that right in the run-up to Black Friday should be a top priority for any retailer looking to take their share of the spoils this year.”
By Michael Allen
VP EMEA
Dynatrace