Amazon has topped the latest eChannel Retail Benchmark study from eDigitalResearch after their mobile channels outperformed the brand’s popular and more established Web site.
Amazon have moved to the top of the table since the last set of results at the beginning of 2013 with a 3 percent rise in their overall multichannel score thanks to an improved mobile performance.
Amazon’s mobile site and app scored particularly well for the search, navigation and purchase sections of the customer journey, with users impressed with their integrated barcode scanners and 1-click purchase options.
“As Amazon have proved, creating mobile features that utilize key features in today’s mobile handsets, making shopping on the go quick and simple will resonate well with multichannel shoppers and is only likely to enhance a brand’s image in the eyes of a consumer,” said Derek Eccleston, commercial director, eDigitalResearch, in a statement.
The performance of mobile channels in general has improved since the beginning of 2013 as retailers continue to invest in bigger and better mobile sites and apps, accord to the research firm. Mobile sites now offer as good a purchase section of customer journey as their Web site counterparts after witnessing a 5 percent increase in customer satisfaction with mobile shoppers making a purchase. However, the purchase section still remains a key area of the customer journey that Web site, mobile sites and apps need to look at in order to improve their overall multichannel customer experience.
eDigitalResearch believes that mobile developers in particular need to focus effort and energy on bettering the product pages of the mobile customer journey. Shoppers need the confidence to be able to buy products from a small screen and retailers should be offering all the features they provide online, including customer reviews, a range of images and zoom functions, to encourage users to buy products on the move.
“As digital channels continue to boom in popularity with consumers, retailers must make sure that they are offering a seamless and integrated experience across touch points,” said Eccleston. “With both consumers and retailers increasingly bringing technology in store, with initiatives such as free Wifi, it has never been more important to ensure that a brand’s mobile presence enhances the multichannel experience. Mobile sites and apps must help customers to search for products, read customer reviews and check stock levels, stopping them from buying from a competitor who offers them the ability to do all of this and more.”