6 Mobile Commerce Trends to Watch (With How-to-Tips)

What’s the big deal about mobile commerce? It allows you to reach shoppers where they are: on their mobile devices. Statista estimates that about 187 million people are shopping on their smartphones today.

With such a vast number of people doing their online shopping via their smartphones and tablets, mobile commerce (or m-commerce) is an aspect of your ecommerce strategy that you don’t want to miss out on.

To keep you ahead of the competition, we’ve put together the 6 biggest trends in mobile commerce and included tips for how to implement them in your ecommerce business.

What Is Mobile Commerce?

Mobile commerce (also known as m-commerce) is the process of selling products to consumers through the use of their mobile devices – namely, smartphones and tablets.

With m-commerce, there’s no need for a shopper to sit down at their desktop computer to make a purchase. They can easily shop with the device they’re holding in their hand.

Mobile commerce is a unique opportunity to reach consumers where they spend the most time: scrolling on their smartphones. Today, shoppers expect to be able to find your business, browse your products, and make a purchase from you seamlessly while on the go.

Why Is M-Commerce Essential for Your Business?

In our digital landscape, having a strategy in place for mobile commerce isn’t just a good idea for ecommerce businesses – it’s essential. Here are some important reasons why.

Mobile Device Usage Is Through the Roof

People are using their smartphones more than ever before. Back in 2022, there were 2.9 billion more smartphone users than there were in 2016. This number is expected to rapidly grow.

The average American spends 5 to 6 hours per day on their phone, checking it at least 96 times each day.

With people spending such a significant amount of their time on their mobile devices, it has become increasingly important to have a platform that caters specifically to mobile users.

It’s on the Rise

M-commerce is growing rapidly and is predicted to continue to be an important part of the ecommerce landscape. According to recent estimates, mobile commerce sales are expected to reach over $700 billion by 2025.

In 2023, m-commerce sales made up 8% of all retail sales in the US, and that number is expected to grow to 10% by 2025.

It’s Convenient for Shoppers

Mobile commerce is incredibly convenient for customers, allowing them to shop from the comfort of their homes or on the go. With smartphones becoming ever more powerful and internet speeds increasing, it’s never been easier for shoppers to find what they need quickly and securely.

Helps You Personalize the Customer Experience

Mobile commerce can be a great way to gather valuable customer data. With mobile solutions such as apps, businesses are able to track customer behavior and gain insights into what products or services they may be interested in purchasing.

This can help businesses tailor their offerings to better meet the needs of their customers, resulting in increased sales. Furthermore, data can also be used to create personalized messages or offers that draw attention from potential shoppers, ultimately leading to higher engagement levels.

Can Improve Customer Loyalty

M-commerce is an incredibly powerful tool for businesses when it comes to improving customer loyalty and retention. By leveraging features such as SMS and push notifications, businesses can keep their customers up-to-date with new products or services, special offers, and other important information.

Additionally, through the use of personalized messages and rewards programs that encourage repeat purchases, businesses can create a sense of loyalty by showing customers they are valued.

6 Mobile Commerce Trends and How to Adopt Them

Ready to take a look at today’s biggest m-commerce trends? Here is our list of the top 6, with useful tips on how to adopt them for your own ecommerce business.

1. Social Commerce

Want to connect with your customers in the most powerful way? In a recent survey, consumers stated that the number one way they like to form a connection with a brand is through social media.

Social commerce is all about finding your customers where they spend the most time: on social media. With social commerce, your audience can view and even buy products from you without ever having to leave the social media platform.

This mobile commerce trend has proven to be highly effective, with brands that use Instagram shopping reporting an incredible 1,416% increase in traffic to their websites and a 20% increase in sales revenue.

How to Tap into the Trend

Nowadays, most of the big social media platforms offer social commerce tools that your ecommerce business can benefit from.

• Instagram allows you to add product tags to your social posts and also makes it possible for customers to check out without leaving the platform. Here are some simple step-by-step instructions.

• Facebook lets you create an in-app Facebook Shop as an addition to your current Facebook business page. You’ll be able to upload your products, customize your store, and connect with customers using Facebook Messenger.

• Pinterest offers the cool feature of Product Pins, allowing users to click on the price icon of the Pin and make a purchase. You can also upload your entire product catalog using Pinterest’s Catalog feature. Here are some excellent tips for getting started.

• TikTok recently introduced its TikTok Shop option for ecommerce businesses. It allows you to show off your products and sell them directly through the app and on live-stream videos.

2. Mobile Shopping Apps

We are seeing a big rise in retail shopping apps for mobile devices and for good reasons. A whopping 85% of consumers say they prefer to shop on a mobile app over visiting a brand’s website. In addition, almost 70% of internet users shop through apps on their mobile devices.

Why are mobile shopping apps so awesome? They put the customer experience first by offering convenience and functionality. Apps are designed specifically for mobile devices, making it easy for customers to navigate your store, find what they want, and check out seamlessly.

Mobile shopping apps also drive brand loyalty. When a shopper has your app downloaded on their mobile device, your brand will be at the top of their mind. What’s more, the shopper’s personal information (such as their payment method and address) will be conveniently saved on the app for swift checkout. The possibility of push notifications means you can remain in touch with your customers.

How to Tap into the Trend

Creating an app for your ecommerce business doesn’t have to be difficult and costly. No-code app-building tools allow you to create your own shopping app and customize it to suit your brand.

Templates and drag and drag-and-drop functionality make it super easy to create a beautiful and fully functional app. Pricing for these tools is amazingly affordable, starting at $25 a month. Larger companies with more money to invest might want to hire a professional developer.

Check out this article for some helpful tips and resources for building your mobile app.

3. Powerful Omnichannel Integrations

Omnichannel retail is the process of selling products through multiple channels. These channels could include your brick-and-mortar store, your mobile app, and your website.

Omnichannel integration means getting all of these channels to line up, creating a seamless and extraordinary experience for customers at every touchpoint in their buying journey.

Customers rely on their mobile devices even when shopping at a brick-and-mortar store. According to research, 73% of customers prefer shopping through multiple channels, with 50% of in-store shoppers using their mobile devices to research a product.

So what are some ways you can create this seamless experience for your customers? Here are just a few ideas:

How to Tap into the Trend

• Offer mobile checkout solutions so that your customers don’t have to stand in a long line to complete their purchase
• Offer customers the option to buy online and pick up in-store
• Add QR codes to products that are out of stock so that your customer can buy the item on your website instead
• Align your app to send your customers a personalized recommendation or discount when they enter one of your brick-and-mortar locations

4. Augmented Reality

Brands in the know start using AR (augmented reality) to improve their customer experience and boost sales. This technology allows ecommerce businesses to showcase their products in a whole new way.

The downside to shopping on a mobile device is that the customer can’t experience the product for themselves. “I love those sunglasses, but what would they look like on my face?” AR has the potential to give the customer a fuller and more sensory experience of what they’re considering buying.

How to Tap into the Trend

Depending on the product your ecommerce business sells, you’ll want to incorporate AR technology in your mobile commerce strategy differently. How would your customer experience your product if they were in a store? How can you replicate that experience?

• Furniture brands can utilize AR to allow customers to see how a piece of furniture would look in their own home
• Makeup brands can let customers try on different shades of eyeshadow or lipstick
• Fashion brands can encourage customers to “try on” different pieces of clothing and accessories

5. Voice Commerce

In recent years, voice search has been a game-changer in mobile commerce. Typing a search query into google can be a little awkward on a mobile device, so consumers are changing their shopping patterns to searching for products with voice commands.

A study showed that 71% of consumers prefer to conduct queries by voice rather than typing. That’s why voice shopping’s value worldwide has skyrocketed with a 400% growth in the last 2 years.

Voice shopping makes the buying process fast and simple for consumers – and it’s that convenience that drives sales. Voice commerce offers customers a hands-free shopping process, wherever they are.

How to Tap into the Trend

If you want to stay ahead of the game when it comes to voice shopping, it’s essential to optimize your ecommerce store to be voice-search-friendly. To do this, there are a number of important ways you’ll want to rethink your website’s SEO. This article has some great advice on how to do that.

6. Personalization Through Zero-Party Data

You’ve probably heard that Google Chrome is going to be blocking third-party cookies. This means no more collection of precious third-party data, which forces brands to rethink how they’ll learn about their customers.

Zero-party data is information that a customer intentionally and proactively provides to a business. This is normally given in exchange for perks or benefits, often in the form of a hyper-personalized experience.

Collecting zero-party data takes all the guesswork out of personalizing your customer’s buying journey. At the same time, it allows you valuable insight into what makes your customers tick.

How to Tap into the Trend

Here are some creative ways you could collect zero-party data on your mobile app:

• Let customers take a quiz to find out their personal style/personality type
• Use conversational popups to ask the customer what kind of products they love
• Encourage customers to create an account to save their favorite items or preferences
• Follow up with post-purchase surveys

Mobile Commerce Is the Future

The future of mobile commerce looks incredibly bright. As technology continues to advance, people are increasingly relying on their smartphones and tablets for convenience when it comes to shopping.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed about how to begin tapping into the latest mobile commerce trends? To find an ecommerce platform with awesome m-commerce capabilities, take a look at our Best Picks first, where we rank the best ecommerce platforms.