Tablet Retail Impact: Sometimes, No Change Is The Best Strategy
Written by Evan SchumanNovember 16th, 2011
What, if anything, should retailers do differently about tablet computers, in an M-Commerce context? Not much, it turns out. But it's hard to glean that from the flood of stats out there. Consider some numbers IBM Coremetrics has been talking up recently. The company reported that "shoppers using an iPad will lead to more retail purchases more often per visit than other mobile devices," with iPad conversion rates at 6.8 percent versus 3.6 percent for all mobile devices. That may be true, of course. But it's also obvious that the larger screen of a tablet will enable more activity than the typical smartphone. What if IBM Coremetrics had said that shoppers using a laptop or a desktop computer will deliver more purchases than a smartphone? What if IBM Coremetrics had said that shoppers using a laptop or a desktop computer will deliver more purchases than a smartphone?
That said, tablets are becoming quite popular, and a migration of sales from PCs and laptops down to tablets is inevitable. From the chain's perspective, though, that change may be barely felt, because the tablets will simply be accessing your regular Web site. At best, it might be a slightly tweaked version of your site. Most of the current tablets don't really need much—if any—tweaking to deliver an acceptable experience.
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2 Comments | Read Tablet Retail Impact: Sometimes, No Change Is The Best Strategy
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-Christine
November 21st, 2011 at 11:54 am
It seems that you’re making the assumption that bigger screen = better conversion rate. The really interesting question is whether shopping apps and shopping sites optimized for tablets will convert at a higher rate than the laptop/desktop. If they aren’t today, they will one day.
November 21st, 2011 at 4:09 pm
We’re not precisely saying that there is a direct correlation between screen size and conversion rate. That would suggest that a huge screen (such as a two-page screen popular with graphic artists) would convert powerful and I have no reason to think that’s the case. It’s really about convenience. In short, “How easy is it to make purchases and generally navigate on the device?”
Any decent mobile device has a decent amount of convenience, but it’s small screen is a hurdle. As tablets get close to delivering 90 percent of the ease-of-use of a desktop and 100 percent of the convenience of a mobile phone, they’ll win the conversion race. There are other factors, too, though, such as Wallet proximity. If my device happens to have my payment method memorized, great. If it doesn’t I’ll more inclined to deal with that on a desktop.
Bottom line: It’s not solely about screen size but about ease of researching and completing a purchase.