E-commerce vendor ChannelAdvisor has developed a Mobile Webstore solution that allows retailers using its Premium Webstore to quickly and easily create a mobile-optimized version of their site. And already it is upping business for music company MusicFactoryDirect.com.
ChannelAdvisor customer MusicFactoryDirect.com launched its Mobile Webstore several months ago and has already noticed mobile conversions increase over that of its previous site, which was not mobile-optimized. “Our customers are musicians, so they are constantly on the road and shopping from mobile devices,” says MusicFactoryDirect.com Director of IT and Web Marketing Stephen Leitch. “Before we implemented ChannelAdvisor’s Mobile Webstore solution, we had a mobile bounce rate that was astronomical. Now, our bounce rate is well below 50%, and we’re finding that mobile shoppers are serious buyers—spending 130% more time on the site and converting much more.”
According to ABI Research, mobile commerce is expected to account for $119 billion in global sales by 2015, a substantial increase from $18.6 billion last year. ChannelAdvisor’s Mobile Webstore solution prepares retailers to be at the forefront of the mobile commerce movement in advance of this anticipated growth.
“If you’ve ever tried to shop on your smartphone and visited a website that isn’t optimized, you can understand the frustrations of thousands of mobile shoppers,” says Scot Wingo, CEO of ChannelAdvisor. “We never want our customers to miss out on an opportunity to sell more, so we’ve created the Mobile Webstore to enable retailers of any size to implement a full-featured mobile version of their site in just a few days.”
Key features of ChannelAdvisor’s Mobile solution within Premium Webstores include: full integration with the ChannelAdvisor Platform requiring no additional set-up or design; compatibility with all mobile browsers on all major smartphones; permission of mobile shoppers to login to accounts and wish lists; provision of a mobile-optimized cart and checkout; and full promotional support including coupon codes and discount offerings.
In addition, Mobile Webstores customers can easily drive traffic to their mobile store by sending product feeds to applications such as RedLaser and Shopsavvy. Using these applications, mobile shoppers can scan the barcode of any product and instantly receive a list of webstores that carry the product and see the price, influencing their purchasing decision.
“If your product shows up on a mobile search, but a shopper can’t navigate your mobile site, you’re going to lose a sale,” continues Leitch. “For us, having a Mobile Webstore not only differentiates us, it allows us to create an experience that can turn a shopper into a longtime customer.”
ChannelAdvisor is also receiving great interest from retailers intending to use ChannelAdvisor’s Premium Webstore solely to launch a Mobile Webstore, due to its efficiency and price point. “These retailers realize that adding ChannelAdvisor’s Premium Webstore and the Mobile solution is a quicker and easier option than re-platforming or waiting for their current platform to have a mobile offering,” says Wingo.
