Do you use your smartphone to shop? Looks like 45 million people did so via apps in June, which is pretty cool. But I’ll be honest: I don’t do much online shopping via apps (most of my shopping there is in iTunes). I’m not alone here: Most people prefer using the sites compared to the apps, according to stats from last year’s holiday shopping season.
Why aren’t we using the apps?
Practically everyone has a smartphone, yet many of us aren’t using them to shop. Why? For one, websites (mobile and otherwise) tend to be more robust than apps. The website is often more familiar than the app. Side note: Don’t you hate it when the app looks nothing like the company’s website? Branding is important, people! You want customers to feel confident in the security of the app and comfortable in the app’s functionality.
Let’s make the act of shopping in the app a better customer experience. As part of an overall conversation strategy, the app should be better than using the browser. Apps make better use of the real estate, and the company controls the entire experience – and apps usually beat browsers in usability testing, so why would someone choose the website over the app? People spend more time in the mobile app than they do on the website (mobile or desktop), so take advantage the opportunities to up-sell and cross-sell and, maybe more importantly, improve customer loyalty. One bad experience might be enough to lose the customer for good.
How can we make mobile apps a better experience?
This is just my gut instinct, but I’m guessing people prefer the websites they’re familiar and often more robust. Navigation is predictable, and it’s easier to search for info and get help when needed. These are not insurmountable challenges, though. Companies spend a lot of money developing the app, so make sure it matches your corporate branding and then make sure that it’s easy to get help when a customer reaches a self-service dead end.
Offering a Conversation Bridge at crucial points in the interaction goes a long way toward developing a positive, consistent user experience – and this goes for any channel. Self-service is great and all, but if you run into a dead end, you’re going to go somewhere that makes it easier to complete your task. If someone runs into an issue and needs help, don’t make them start all over, repeat account info or wait on hold – and don’t force them to use a competitor! With a Conversation Bridge, everything the consumer was doing can be passed onto the specialist who can immediately begin working on the issue.
Do you shop using your smartphone? If so, are you using the app or the mobile website?
Learn more about developing consistent, positive customer experiences that impact brand perception and improve customer loyalty.
