Step aside, e-commerce. M-commerce is taking over. Mobile commerce is on the rise. Sales on mobile devices may approach $100 Billion for 2014. Amazon is on track for nearly $17 billion in mobile sales. Around one third of Ebay buyers make their purchases on hand-held devices.
Jewellery shoppers are getting more comfortable with buying on their mobiles. Blue Nile recently made a $1.8 million sale to a single customer on a mobile device. Groupon, known for being an online coupon service also sells directly to the consumer via Groupon Goods. Their online presence, optimised for mobile marketing, is moving into high-end jewellery with offerings such as a 24.90 CT Tanzanite ring for $18,000 or a 16.25 CTTW Diamond Necklace priced at $25,000.
M-commerce is driven by convenience and immediacy. The ability to shop anywhere and anytime makes for increased impulse purchases. It is like having an entire store in your hand. Tablets with a larger viewing screen and easier operation are dominating the sales figures.
Mobile marketing, like any other modern marketing, is about building relationships and providing an efficient, enjoyable experience. The goal is to attract interest in a product and convert that interest to an immediate sale while the customer is still excited and motivated.
Paul Cousineau, director of mobile shopping at Amazon.com states: “We want a customer to be able to have 100% of their relationship with Amazon on any device they choose…People do not put their phone down then go find a desktop to do something. They use their phone.
Mobile marketing, like any other modern marketing, is about building relationships and providing an efficient, enjoyable experience. The goal is to attract interest in a product and convert that interest to an immediate sale while the customer is still excited and motivated.
A few things to consider when optimizing your online platform for mobile:
- Keep your design uncluttered. The display area is small so be sure that whatever you are trying to say or show is prominent and easy to view.
- If you plan to make online sales, be sure that every item you display has an easy to find button to add the item to the shopping cart. You’d be surprised at how many forget this simple but important feature.
- Have a “click-to-call button.” They are holding a phone, make it easy for them to call you right now.
- Your photos need to be clear and simple…just the jewellery on a plain white background. Fancy, colourful backgrounds look great on a printed page or a desktop monitor but will be confusing and distracting on a small screen.
- Use smaller, lower resolution photo files for faster loading times over slow wireless networks. Mobile users are impatient and will leave the page if it takes more than three seconds to load.
- When in doubt, hire a pro to get you set up. This is not an arena for do-it-yourself efforts.
M-commerce is here to stay and will soon the primary platform for online selling. Be sure it’s YOUR jewellery store is in your customer’s pocket. If you don’t get started now, you may get left behind.