Acquity Group Study Shows Need For Mobile Commerce Optimization

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June 11, 2010
By the ZippyCart Ecommerce Software Reviews Content Team

Yesterday, Acquity Group announced the overall “Best-in-Class” businesses in its 2010 Mobile Commerce Audit of the companies named on the 2009 Internet Retailer 500 list. The announcement helps draw attention to the growth of mobile commerce and the need for creating mobile optimized storefronts if merchants want to remain successful in the world of ecommerce. “This year’s group of Overall Best-in-Class winners has recognized that consumers are increasingly turning to their mobile devices for information and purchases,” said Tom Nawara, Acquity Group Managing Director of Digital Strategy & Design. He then stated the Acquity Group study found that mobile optimized storefronts increased from 4% in 2009 to 12% in 2010.

Nawara also discussed the impact of the iPhone and mobile commerce, stating that findings suggest only 1% of ecommerce sites were optimized for the iPhone in 2009 while 11% are optimized for the iPhone currently. This comes just days after the iPhone 4 was unveiled to the public and Steve Jobs announced that the iPhone makes up for 28% of the smartphone market. With the release of the iPhone 4, the iPhone 3GS will now be sold for only $99, which ensures that even more consumers will become iPhone users and enter the mobile marketplace.

Nawara also stated that 2% of companies provided downloadable apps in 2009, while 7% do now. Findings from the study showed that many companies do not have a dual focus of creating an app and optimizing their storefront for mobile phones. Instead, they tend to choose one or the other, which could cause problems for companies in the future. Storefronts with mobile apps help maintain customer loyalty, as searching and browsing products via an app is usually much easier than visiting a mobile optimized store. Overstock and Ebay are both good examples of companies that have both a mobile optimized storefront and mobile apps to increase sales.

This year’s Top 10 Best-in-Class companies identified by Acquity Group include, in order of ranking: Amazon.com, Best Buy, 1-800-FLOWERS.com, Barnes & Noble, Indigo Books & Music (kobo), Sears Holdings, Overstock.com, QVC, Target and ShopNBC.com.