Today we are in the “Anytime, anywhere, any device” paradigm: we can buy a product online whenever we want, from everywhere and with any device available; with a few clicks we can complete the purchase and receive easily the product at home or at office in a few days/weeks, depends on the provenance and on the kind of shipping selected.
Studies show interesting data about devices preferred by online consumers: the 2014 represent the year of switch from the personal computer to the shopping via mobile. The change of direction is recent, and underline the massive impact of portable devices on people habits and their consumption behaviour. Smartphone is now an integrated part of our life and in the last two years has increased constantly until replaced desktop as the most used channels to buy online. Together with the smartphone, among portable devices also tablet use is growing, even if in a less significant way compared to mobile.
It’s interesting to notice as the smartphone affects a lot the purchase decision: thanks to mobile, the sales process is fragmented in “micromoments”, divided in consultation, evaluation and decision, giving to companies the possibility of communicating and promoting their products taking advantage of the different phases of this process. According to the Google research assigned to Doxa and Politecnico of Milan, the smartphone is particularly relevant in the previous phases of the purchasing decision, during which the consumer looks for inspirational sources, verifies the information, compares prices and features of products. Besides, 10% of consumers receive a first input just from the mobile device, that in this way facilitate the entrance of potential buyers in the sales funnel. Beyond the earlier stages of the purchase action, the smartphone is highly relevant just before the conversion: whether the product is purchased online or in a traditional store, consumers use it to make other price comparisons, or to localize the shop or just to verify the vendors’ information. The 40% of users consider the smartphone essential to buy online: as we have just seen, it is a useful tool of marketing and sales to attract, inform and engage the consumers until they complete the purchase.