Mobile Apps Helping E-commerce

Why are online shopping apps becoming mobile shopping apps? Shopping online used to be done by sitting down in the front of your pc. Then along came the uptrend in smartphone purchases, making it increasingly easier to browse and do research on your phone while on the go. It is expected that the number of smartphone users will be 2.87 million by 2020.

People who prefer to shop online is because it is more convenient. But now, more consumers are utilizing mobile apps to shop online. Why? Because it is even MORE convenient! It is much easier to reach for your phone, push a few buttons, and make a purchase, than sitting down and logging into your computer at home. 

In the last quarter of 2017, North American retailers offering apps earned 44 percent of their transactions through their ecommerce apps. By comparison, mobile web browsing accounted for 23 percent of transactions, and desktop drove 33 percent of transactions. These stats show the shift towards retailers in-app purchases rather than using a web browser. The following chart compares mobiles apps vs. desktops and displays why consumers prefer shopping on their phones. 

Here is a list of some of the benefits of having a mobile app:

1. Customers tend to spend 3-4 times longer is mobile apps than desktops.
2. Mobile apps have the lowest shopping cart abandonment rate:a.Apps: 20%b.Desktops: 68%c.Mobile sites: 97%
3. Customers spend twice as much money on mobile apps than on desktops or mobile sites
4. The AOV (average order value) on mobile apps is 140% higher than on mobile sites and 130% higher than on desktops.
5. Customers are twice as likely to return to a mobile commerce app within thirty days than to the desktop.
   

Each of the listed benefits are some of the reasons why many retailers are shifting their e-commerce strategy to mobile apps. 

When we created the Sightly platform, we started with the design of the mobile app. This is your connection to your patient outside of your office’s 4 walls. With Sightly, your patients can use the Sightly app to conveniently transact with your office:

• Order the products that you sell and/or the products that you have assigned to them.
• Receive reminder notifications via email or SMS and order those items easily via your Sightly app
• Your patients can see all of their appointments, products, and orders in one single view

Check out the Sightly app to see how it could work with your practice.