Mobile ecommerce strategies essential for businesses

The rise of electronic payments has led customers to expect to be able to purchase items whenever they want and from any location. As a result, mobile ecommerce strategies are quickly becoming a preferred shopping platform. 

A recent IBM study found that Christmas Day mobile sales increased 29.6 percent compared to a year ago, with both Apple and Android devices contributing to the growth. 

"The report suggests that this was the year of the iPad, not just as a device for shopping and browsing retail websites but also as the gift of choice on Christmas Day," said Chris Withers, head of smarter commerce at IBM U.K., according to the Retail Gazette. "This provides another clear reminder to retailers of the need to optimize browsing experiences for mobile devices."

Mobile traffic achieved 33.6 percent year-over-year growth, with iPads (11.8 percent), Androids (7.7 percent) and iPhones (5 percent) accounting for sizable portions of all internet traffic. Nearly 20 percent of consumers used mobile devices to make purchases, driving much of the 15 percent year-over-year increase in November and December ecommerce sales.

In a recent report for Multichannel Merchant, Mike DeFabis, business development manager at IDS Logistics, advocated that companies implement more online payment strategies with ecommerce numbers expected to grow in 2013. In particular, they should develop mobile versions of their websites so that shoppers can make purchases on the go.  

DeFabis highlighted a recent Walker Sands study, which revealed that mobile site visits grew 84 percent from December 2011 to December 2012. Smartphones, tablets and laptops now account for nearly a quarter of all business website traffic. 

Therefore, DeFabis suggested that companies utilize these tools, and the growing popularity of mobile ecommerce, as a means of growing their business.