Fortuitas has been developing mobile apps and eCommerce solutions for many years now. We have been looking for a technology partnership that brings both of these worlds together in an intelligent way. We finally found a great partner in ShopGate to fulfill this need.
If you’ve noticed that smartphones seem to be dominating the traffic to your eCommerce store, you’re not alone. In fact, smartphones are now the only traffic source that is actually growing for online retailers. Smartphone visits to eCommerce sites have jumped 89% in the past three years, indicating very clearly that omnichannel retailers who invest in mobile experiences will take the lead in the race for customers.
However, mobile-optimized websites are no longer enough to satisfy the hunger that consumers feel for smartphone shopping options. In 2017, 66% of mobile sales were through an app, with a conversion rate three times that of mobile web. What is the disparity between mobile websites and mobile apps? There are a few key factors that have transformed smartphone apps from fun mini-browsing experiences to crucial retail marketing and sales tools.
CUSTOMER COMMUNICATION
A mobile website's access to a customer ends as soon as the customer closes the tab or the browser on his or her smartphone. An app, however, allows for push notifications— instant communication that only requires a second of a customer’s interest to pave a pathway to purchasing.
- Communicate Directly and Personally: Create a push to purchase experience with engaging, targeted push notifications that see engagement rates higher than email.
- Simplified Path to Purchase: Create an effortless shopping experience by using landing pages to direct your customers immediately to the products or promos that caught their eye in your push notification campaign.
- Automated Push Notifications: Let your app read the actions a user takes within it, and use that information to create automated push notifications that drive purchases and reduce cart abandonment.
SIMPLIFIED CHECKOUT
Shopgate mobile apps employ features such as Facebook Login to make the sales conversion process as easy as possible for both you and your customers.
- Geofencing: Target your buyer based on their location and Increase store traffic by setting up a virtual perimeter that triggers timely, relevant messaging on their most personal device.
- Data-Driven User Segments: Inform your push messaging and optimize your promotions with valuable customer data like age, gender, location, device type, and registration status.
NATIVE TECHNOLOGY
Put quite simply, a mobile website is limited in that it cannot access all of the highly sophisticated technology that is stored in smartphones. These features are vital to creating the simple yet personalized experience consumers crave.
- Connect Mobile & Mortar: Provide customers the personalization and flexibility they expect by removing the barriers of purchasing and returning for a truly omnichannel experience.
- Pick Up In-Store: Eliminate the waiting and pricey shipping of online shopping by allowing your customers to make an order within the app and pick up at the location of their choice.
- Return In-Store: Lift customer satisfaction by making the return and exchange process as easy as possible, with no return labels, clumsy packaging, or shipping costs on the behalf of your customer.
- Streamlined Customer Login: Let your app read the actions a user takes within it, and use that information to create automated push notifications that drive purchases and reduce cart abandonment.
- Credit Card Scanner: Create an effortless shopping experience by using landing pages to direct your customers immediately to the products or promos that caught their eye in your push notification campaign.
With such a strong offering of features, ease of use, and customer-centric integrations, it was a no-brainer for us to form a relationship with the folks at ShopGate.