Bounce rates from mobile devices are currently 10 per cent higher than on desktops according to figures from search marketing agency, Mediarun. For retailers, this means over 5.6 per cent of all mobile traffic, and potential sales, is currently being lost through lack of a mobile-enabled website.
Mediarun is currently seeing bounce rates for mobile devices standing at approximately 40 per cent, which is around 10 per cent higher than on desktops. At a time when each transaction is arguably more valuable than ever for retailers, a huge section of the potential market is going to waste through companies being slow to adapt, according to Alex Wares, managing director of Mediarun.
He said: “There is no questioning the rise of mobile – it has been meteoric, but for all of this burgeoning boom there are problems. Overall website bounce rates for our clients increased by an average of 10 per cent during 2011, with iPhone the highest of all devices.
He continues: “Even now major retailers such as Conran Furniture and Sainsbury’s, to name just two, have no semblance of a mobile-friendly site, instead leaving users to battle with their full web version until their patience inevitably wears thin. This can have a lasting impact on customers as those who have a poor experience when trying to browse on a mobile – which may represent the first impression of a business – are unlikely to re-visit the site on a desktop.”
According to recent statistics by Compuware, for every customer that receives a negative experience on a mobile device, 61 per cent are unlikely to return to that site and 40 per cent say they would turn to a competitor site to meet their needs.
Wares concludes: “The legacy of statistics like these is that all forms of advertising for retailers who do not adapt to mobile is undermined, as companies are haemorrhaging customers.
“Some of the more affluent customers are bypassing problem aspects by using tablet devices that offer better interaction with full version websites thanks to a larger usable screen, but this is not representative of a sustainable solution. It is relatively easy to develop a basic mobile platform and present information in a mobile-friendly way and with the market clearly exploding in size this should be a vital next step for all retailers serious about e-commerce.”
