75% of all eCommerce orders are with desktops, not mobile, according to Custora. While consumers are increasingly using their mobile devices, marketers should understand the benefits of using a desktop vs. using a mobile device from a consumer standpoint.
Why do people use mobile and where do they use it? Well, in research that I attended last summer wit mobile users, we found that a lot of people “kill free time” with their smartphones while commuting to work or attending meetings. They tended to use iPads at home while either watching TV. But we found out something interesting, even with Millennials; they prefer desktops when ordering online. When probes it had to do primarily with the increased speed of PC’s vs mobile devices even when connected to high speed WiFi and being able to see products on big flat screen PC’s.
Where does this leave mobile? Well, first, let’s be honest and say that there is a lot of hype around mobile. There seem to be new media stories every week about how consumers are using mobile. But let’s also remember that desktop/laptop sales are again growing. Apple shipped a record number of Mac’s last quarter and Dell is once again shipping a lot of PC’s as Microsoft readies a new and better version of Windows.
The best way to determine how mobile is impacting your brand is to set up a parameter within your website analytics. Look at where people are going on your website with mobile, the time of day and more importantly how they are getting there.
Brands have to be ready for a multi-device world, but we need to go beyond the hype to understand our customers.
