COVID-19 has revolutionized the entire scope of e-commerce to the extent that customer’s behavioral patterns have changed within seconds all over the globe. Like every impact has a positive and negative result this too, unexpectedly led to the decline and fast-tracking of various e-commerce trends. The expectations and demands of a customer have changed; the customer acquisition strategies have upgraded and the way one expects to conduct sales has taken a 360-degree turn. Now is the time for online users to rapidly adapt to these changes rather than waiting for trends to go back to normal.
Online shoppers have increased worldwide which makes it the best opportunity for e-commerce businesses to exploit. This is because customers are dependent on the digital market now more than ever. One trend which is growing tremendously is that of mobile commerce, which essentially means online shopping via mobiles. This trend is flourishing especially during the times of coronavirus as more and more people are using their mobile phones to make a purchase. One of the reasons why it’s extremely popular is because it can be used by all ages and therefore, the number of users increases rapidly.
Online sellers have especially taken the advantage of social media to advocate the cause of mobile commerce. Now that most of us are at home, the time we spend on our phones and social media has rapidly increased. Retailers have strategically placed ads on all social media platforms which would take the users to any shopping platform with a simple click and hence make a purchase.
Reasons why the impact of Coronavirus has led to the growth of mobile commerce:
1. Frequent purchases:
The world is almost dependent on the digital marketplace for meeting their product and service demands. This demand has also caused a rise in the number of products ordered using mobiles apps of e-commerce sights due to the fact that people now spend a large part of their time using their smartphones and it becomes a more convenient tool to place orders rather than opening your desktop or placing an order via call.
2. Increased use of mobile applications:
Online retailers have realized that most purchases are made by users using smartphones or tablets since most people don’t have the patience to wait for a desktop and using an app can be much more interactive and convenient. Thus, e-commerce platforms now ensure that there is a mobile application available for their e-commerce platforms.
3. Leveraging social media more than ever:
As the trend of mobile commerce is skyrocketing and more and more users are depending on their smartphones to make purchases, retailers are boosting their advertisements on social media so that users are automatically taken to their online store with just a click on the ad. This is especially popular and effective since most users use social media via their cell phones and it also helps one in understanding the preferences of a customer by analyzing their search history.
4. Better opportunities for marketing:
During the times of coronavirus, most retailers are relying on aggressive marketing. Online retailers are especially at an advantage here since users are dependent on them to make purchases. The growing trend of mobile commerce now gives such retailers an opportunity to reach customers using mobile apps. They no longer have to be completely dependent on social media and email marketing. Mobile commerce gives them the opportunity to reach out to customers using push notifications which do not only make it easy to contact customers, but also have a higher conversion chance. This is because the message appears on the home screen of a user just like a message would.
5. Opportunity to create a personalized experience:
A personalized experience is something that is not only expected by today’s customer, but it is also crucial in enhancing customer experience. Mobile commerce also provides an advantage in such scenarios. It is able to identify the customers browsing history as well as their purchase history and accordingly make personalized and targeted recommendations to make them re-purchase a product or buy something they wanted immediately. This trend has grown and become even more important during COVID-19 because there has been a complete change in the preferences and demands of a customer.
6. Ease of payment:
Just like most of our shopping is done online during this pandemic, we have also moved towards digital payments as most people wish to avoid COD to avoid the transmission of the virus. The ease of payment comes with mobile commerce. Online platforms are offering as many payment options as possible which helps in negating the entire hassle of making payments. In fact, after making a purchase for the first time, the app, with your permission stores the necessary information which makes payments a one-click process!
The scope of growth for mobile commerce is immense and the impact of coronavirus has fast-tracked this process. New trends are evolving and if you are an e-commerce retailer, then mobile commerce is something that you should not only adapt to but also keep an eye out for. If used properly, it will not only bring a competitive advantage but also help in making higher sales and customer retention. We hope you found this blog beneficial, let us know your opinion on the comment section below!
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