MOBILE

USER EXPERIENCE:
THE ROAD TO MATURITY

Lessons from the leaders

in overcoming m-commerce challenges

CONTENT SQUARE
Experience Matters
 PREFACE

This is a story of dependence and addiction.

With the constant content snacking of often fickle mobile users who
‘live’ on their phones, ensuring their mobile experience is fit for purpose
is a constant struggle. Being able to analyse browsing behaviours and
mobile customer journeys to optimise the experience is high on the
wish-list for leading ecommerce brands.

At ContentSquare, we’ve been leading the UX revolution, offering

next-generation analytics to help brands truly understand customer
behaviour across devices. Read on to explore the lessons from brands
such as Lacoste, Accor Hotels, and Unilever to learn how they
navigated mobile challenges in 2016.
SUMMARY
THE ALWAYS ‘ON’ GENERATION
THE STORY OF DEPENDENCE P.11
AND ADDICTION

MOBILE USERS LOVE TO ‘SNACK’ P.17

THE UNCOMPROMISING MOBILE

P.23
USER

SCROLLING ON MOBILE -
P.27
COMPULSIVE BEHAVIOUR

ENCOURAGING WINDOW
SHOPPING: LIST AND STORE P.31
LOCATOR PAGES

BUILDING LOYALTY ON
P.35
MOBILE SITES

GETTING CUSTOMERS TO P.39

BUY: A FINE ART

3
 METHODOLOGY

ContentSquare, a specialist in analysing and optimising customer

journeys, published a pioneering study of mobile e-commerce and
key challenges facing e-retailers on smartphones in 2016.

To produce this white paper, ContentSquare gathered online

browsing data for smartphone users and compared their browsing
habits across desktop, tablet and mobile.

More than 300 million user sessions on 80 e-commerce sites

spanning 11 industries (fashion, media, telecoms, services, jewellery,
cosmetics, gaming, automotive, travel and retail) and in 7 countries
(France, Germany, Russia, United Kingdom, United States, Spain and
South Korea)

ContentSquare Data Analysts followed a rigorous methodology

analysing the following metrics:
• number of sessions
• number of pages viewed
• transformation rate
• bounce rate
• percentage of users landing on the cart page
• scroll rate
• page size
• active time, inactive time, activity rate
• hover rate
• average hesitation time

4
Methodology
 ContentSquare also used new metrics specific to smartphone
interactions, so-called “Touch gestures” such as tap rates, finger
movements, zooms, swipes, rotations, etc.

6 MONTHS
OF DATA

300 MILLION
SESSIONS

80 E-COMMERCE
MOBILE SITES

11 INDUSTRIES

7 COUNTRIES

5
Methodology
 INTRODUCTION

Mobile - six letters that have heralded ambitious prospects for

e-retailers in recent years. However, this must-have device has never
been talked about as much as in 2016. The mobile-first strategy, the
m-commerce boom and mobile users: as new terms appear, so do
the challenges in e-commerce. Although users are gradually being
replaced by mobile users who are connected all day long through their
smartphones, they still remain attached to their tablets and computers,
making user journeys that bit more complicated.

NEW USES,
NEW EXPECTATIONS

This complexity is linked to changes in Mobile traffic

use and new ways of thinking about the HAS EXPLODED
user experience: whereas users click, in the last
smartphone interactions consist in tapping 12 months.

6
Introduction
 or swiping between meetings, on public transport or even in the middle
of a conversation.

These changes have a significant impact on the many moments

throughout the day when mobile users look into tomorrow’s weather,
the location of the nearest bakery or buying a plane ticket in a context
that is not conducive to providing them with the right information at the
right time.

Multi-device journeys, new touch gestures and hasty searches for the
right information at the right time: integration of these developments
means taking an initial look at the universe of mobile users, gaining a
better understanding of their behaviours and setting a clearly defined
objective: that of exceeding the conversion rates recorded on
desktop.

It always surprises me to see that some banks/insurance

companies still don’t have responsive sites when that’s what
users expect. For me, not being mobile-ready is a recipe for
commercial disaster these days!

Olivier Lacroix,
Marketing and Communication Assistant Director, CSF

7
Introduction
 WHAT DO THE RESULTS OF M-COMMERCE
LOOK LIKE?

From expert testimonials to the plethora of articles written by

marketing gurus, everyone agrees on one thing: mobile traffic is
exploding. However, few of these mention that the conversion rate
is stagnant, versus app downloads which generated no less than
$30 billion in 2015.

At the same time, the analysis of 300 million mobile site sessions by
ContentSquare reveals a feeble conversion rate of around 1.5% in
2015. This gap calls into question the performance of sites. Although
the latter have proved to be powerful purchasing channels, apps
appear to retain the monopoly on purchases for mobile users. An
improved set-up for mobile sites is the first step to building customer
loyalty, provided the content presented to a mobile user convinces
them to continue their adventure.

RED CARD FOR FAILING UX ON MOBILE!

Poor performance, a proliferation of bugs and faulty ergonomics:

we can blame technology, but it’s actually an almost complete lack
of understanding of user behaviour that is most at fault.

Whereas traditional analytics tools provide information about high

bounce rates and scraps of information about user locations, user-
machine interactions remain unclear or completely unexplored.

Without an in-depth consideration of this essential parameter,

the boom in conversions on mobile sites could well remain at a
permanent standstill.

8
Introduction
 IGNORANCE COULD COST E-RETAILERS
DEARLY!

Western countries are gradually catching up with Asia in terms of

mobile traffic, which records 56% more traffic on mobile devices.

In a universe where time is precious, optimising the mobile user

experience is no longer a luxury, but a necessity for performing
successfully faced with the incredible untapped potential of this
device.

Low conversion rates on mobile sites need not be inevitable. Rather,

mobile is an opportunity for growth through the implementation of
simple solutions that are accessible to e-retailers.

Percentage of use by device

France
Brazil
Russia
England
Australia
Germany
Spain
Singapore
Hong Kong
USA
South Korea
Japan
China

Desktop Tablet Mobile

9
Introduction
10
 CHAPTER I

THE ALWAYS ‘ON’

GENERATION:
THE STORY OF
DEPENDENCE AND
ADDICTION
 ‘Mobile first’ is the expression used nowadays not only as a new
slogan by e-retailers but also to refer to mobile users who are totally
absorbed by the screen of their smartphone. It has to be said that
mobile phones have triumphed without any real resistance - numbers
of “mobile only” detractors remain small.
While the Gartner Institute talks of a rise in smartphone sales in the
region of 10% in 2015 - a relatively small increase compared to the
preceding year - use of smartphones reveals an unprecedented
fascination for these tools which compete on the basis of power
and sophistication.

Unsurprisingly, internet use on a daily basis is

widespread.

The most recent study by Crédoc showed that

“web browsing on mobile phones crossed the
threshold of half of the French population (52%
52%
of users
on average) in 2015.” used their mobile
phone to access
the internet in 2015

1 HYPER-CONNECTED MOBILE USERS…

Mobile users go online numerous times in their

workplace, on public transport, on shopping trips,
etc. to deal with all kinds of needs that come up
throughout the day.

Mobile users go online briefly up to 150 times

per day(1).
(1) Source Google
12
1. The always ‘on’ generation: the story of dependence and addiction
 The mobile phone is the must-have device for horse racing punters who
need to receive information instantaneously. There are three key moments for
going online when betting: obtaining information before the race begins (state
of the ground, weather, etc.), placing the bet and then checking if it won at the
end of the race.

Julie LONDON,
Digital Marketing Manager, PMU

Distribution of connections according to the time

Beyond the figures, it is of day
essential to understand
the environments and Volume
of sessions
context in which mobile
users interact with their Volume
Volume
of sessions
of sessions
smartphones.

Hour of
the day
1 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24
HourHour
of of
the the
dayday
Mobile
1 13 3 6 6 9 9 12 12 15 15 18 18 21 2124 24

Volume Mobile
Mobile
Volume
of sessions of sessions
Volume
Volume Volume
Volume
of sessions
of sessions of sessions
of sessions

Hour of Hour of
the day the day
1 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 Hour
Hour
24 of of 1 3 6 9 12 15 18 Hour
21Hour
of 24
of
the day
the day the day
the day
1 31 36 69 912 1215 1518 1821 2124 24 1 31 36 69 912 1215 1518 1821 2124 24
Desktop Tablet
Desktop
Desktop Tablet
Tablet

13
1. The always ‘on’ generation: the story of dependence and addiction
 The analysis of millions of mobile
sessions by ContentSquare confirms
this transformation in use and reveals a
key phenomenon: mobile users don’t go
online any less during working hours,
FROM
MIDNIGHT
7 AM TO

despite being outside of their comfort zone. mobile users are

constantly connected

Each moment of the day has its own device and acquisition
channel. In the morning, traffic is primarily on mobile phones,
attracted by newsletters which will very probably convert to
TIP desktops or tablets in the evening.
Optimise your morning newsletters for mobile!

2 …WHO ARE CONTENT CRAZY

Users’ instinctive behaviour means they consume large amounts of

content non-stop, and on-the-go.

14
1. The always ‘on’ generation: the story of dependence and addiction
 Time spent by device according to time of day

Spent time
in sec

650
600
550
500
450
400
350
300
250
Hour of
200 the day
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

Desktop Tablet Mobile

Thus window-shoppers are interrupted by

the need to move on to the next task; a tube
journey cuts short an attempt to register on an
inadequate mobile site: in other words, mobile
phones make browsing a brief affair. Sessions on
mobile phones are
In this context, certain suggested elements, such
as downloading applications when a mobile
internet user has only just gone onto a mobile
1SHORTER
.5 TIMES
site that is new to them, can work out expensive. than on other
devices
Therefore the consumption of content on
mobile needs to be understood in the context
of very short browsing sessions which form
part of the multi-tasking profile of mobile
users.

15
1. The always ‘on’ generation: the story of dependence and addiction
 The main challenge for e-commerce players lies in understanding these
problems in order to catch the attention of mobile users.
While the time factor is vital for profiling the behaviour of mobile users,
consideration of mobile user environments can help further develop our
understanding.

16
1. The always ‘on’ generation: the story of dependence and addiction
 CHAPTER II

MOBILE USERS
LOVE TO ‘SNACK’
 In the life of a mobile internet user, timing is everything and although
the notion of ‘use for pleasure’ does exist on mobile phones,
browsing is usually synonymous with a race against the clock.

THE MOBILE INTERNET USER’S

1
ENVIRONMENT - THE MAIN OBSTACLE TO
BROWSING

36.9% of sessions on mobile last less

than a minute, a similar percentage to that
recorded on desktop. While the length of
sessions on both devices has been found
37%
of sessions on mobile
to be similar, the way the user interacts phones last less
with the content on a mobile is very than a minute
different.

Although mobile users are connected throughout the day, they are inevitably
influenced by conditions which often prevent leisurely browsing, such as
back-to-back meetings, travel, shopping between meetings, and so on.

Although these factors have a limiting effect on the world of e-commerce,

solutions do appear to be within reach. Faced with slightly volatile mobile
users, content must contain the right information delivered at the right
time.

This is crucial given that mobile phones have become essential tools to help
with everyday decision-making.

18
2. Mobile users love to ‘snack’
 An effort is essential to the implementation
of a decision-making tool, unavoidable on a
day-to-day basis: «91% of mobile users turn
on their phones to find ideas in the middle
of a conversation.»(3) MOBILE
=
an indispensable tool
(3) Source Google - Study of micro-moments that helps with
decision-making

THE RIGHT INFORMATION AT THE

2
RIGHT TIME

This detail also represents a fundamental trend: mobile users are constantly
looking for quick, contextualised information, ideas and advice from the
numerous communities present on social networks.

To respond to this demand, mobile sites must successfully offer a

combination of seamless browsing and a strong search performance, or risk
losing users.

The exponential use of touch devices has changed the nature of user/
machine interaction.

Indeed, as shown in the graph, mobile users are a lot more impulsive.

In contrast, browsing on tablet is very similar to that observed on desktop.

19
2. Mobile users love to ‘snack’
 25%
30%
15%
20%
25%
10%
15%
20%
Exit rate according to depth of browsing 5%
10%
15%
0%
Exit rate 5% 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
10%
by page
0% Desktop Tablet
5% 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Number of page
30% 0% views during a se
Desktop Tablet Mobile
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
25%
Desktop Tablet Mobile

20%

15%

10%

5%
Number of page
0% views during a session
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Desktop Tablet Mobile

This finding indicates that the touch The exit rate of

gestures used on smartphones and mobile users is
tablets do not in themselves explain the
behaviour of mobile users. 25 %
HIGHER
on the second page

Being on the move is the real differentiating

factor.

Therefore landing pages should address this

constraint and offer rapid response features to
mobile users who will wait no more than about
thirty seconds to access the content.

20
2. Mobile users love to ‘snack’
 50
SECONDS
51
SECONDS
39
SECONDS

Exit rate
by page

It takes just 39 seconds for a mobileby user to decide

Exit rate
page 30%
to leave a page; that’s
22% less time than on a desktop
Exit rate
or tablet.
25%
by page 30%
20%
Analysis of the time elapsed
30%
before interaction
25% confirms that the highly
15%
impulsive behaviour of mobile users is20%linked to the environment and not to
25%
the type of interaction. 15%
10%
20%
5%
10%
15%
0%
5% 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Time before first tap/click on 10%
pages according to depth of browsing
0% Desktop Tablet
5% 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1
Number of
Spent time 0% Desktop Tablet views
Mobile durin
in sec. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

65 Desktop Tablet Mobile

60

55

50

45

40

35
Number of
30 page views
1 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 during a session

Desktop Tablet Mobile

You might think that interactions on touchscreen devices (mobiles and tablets)
would be the same, however it seems that the time that elapses before the
first tap on a smartphone is much shorter.

21
2. Mobile users love to ‘snack’
 Here too the fact that the user is on the move
influences their behaviour and has brought
about a significant change in usage. Mobile users take

Consequently, the optimisation of sites for

both mobile and tablet is no longer relevant
21% LESS TIME
to interact with
because the user conditions are completely the first page
different.

22
2. Mobile users love to ‘snack’
 CHAPTER III

THE
UNCOMPROMISING
MOBILE USER:

The struggle
of mobile users
 Given a user environment which is not very conducive to leisurely
browsing, experts at ContentSquare have identified several
optimisation areas to perform, to deliver a mobile-friendly user
journey and, above all, engage users.

FAILING UX - A “NO-GO” FOR MOBILE

1 TRAFFIC

Bug resolution is a vital part of any mobile

optimisation program.

Nearly
ContentSquare has found that 18.2% of mobile 1 in 5
users experience a loading time in excess of 5 MOBILE USERS
seconds on mobile versus desktop. This is all experience loading
the more dramatic given that loading times have times in excess
a big impact on their browsing behaviour. of 5 secs.

45% of the traffic to Histoire d’Or comes via mobile. It is therefore not an
option for us to allow connection problems or a slow browsing experience
to lead shoppers - who are already reluctant to take out their credit card -
to abandon their purchases.

Emillie Hoffman,
E-marketing Manager - Histoire d’Or

24
3. The uncompromising mobile user
 Probability of abandonment according to page loading time

Exit rate
by page
33%

31%
29%

27%

25%
23%

21%

19%
17% Loading time
by page
15% in sec.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Desktop Tablet Mobile

In other words, the probability of rapidly There is a

abandoning the site increases if the 50% CHANCE
page loading time is judged to be too that mobile users will
long. abandon a site after the
5th second

ContentSquare finds this is more than a

passing trend and points to the heightened
1 in 4 sensitivity of mobile users when
MOBILE USERS systematically faced with error messages
abandon a site if they get and other bugs: one in four mobile users
an error message will immediately abandon a site if they get
an error message.

Yet again, delivering the right information at the right time means taking into
account the activities mobile users engage in on their smartphones as well as
their environment in order to provide an optimal, quality browsing experience.

25
3. The uncompromising mobile user
 ENGAGING MOBILE USERS, WHATEVER
2
IT TAKES - THE CHALLENGE FOR
E-RETAILERS

These days, ingenious solutions such as animations and loading bars make it
possible to keep the attention of users while a site loads.

The loading bar is a clever little device for grabbing user attention and
getting them to wait. Remember that the average waiting time for an internet
user on a mobile device is just 2.8 seconds! A blank screen while the site
loads is the best way to lose time-strapped mobile users.

Ingrid THONET,
UX Design Manager, ContentSquare

Sites like Facebook and Spotify have managed to provide mobile users with a
user experience that is identical to the one they have on other devices. With
its premium service, Spotify guarantees that mobile users will be able to
listen to their favourite music wherever they happen to be. It encourages
users to interact more by making tailored music recommendations, via a user-
friendly interface, and more: in other words, it pulls out all the stops to ensure
mobile users return.

As for Facebook, it gives users the impression they are accessing an up-
to-date news feed, even when they’re offline.
Mobile users can still interact with the elements on the page.

Now that we’ve examined the data concerning the overall behaviour of
mobile users, it’s time to look at the interactions observed when users consult
mobile sites. The following analysis is sure to change your vision of the user
experience on this device!

26
3. The uncompromising mobile user
CHAPTER IV

SCROLLING
ON MOBILE:
COMPULSIVE
BEHAVIOUR
 In-page analytics on smartphones provides a plethora of information
which shouldn’t be ignored by e-retailers. The user’s relationship
with their smartphone is leading to real behavioural changes. Forget
clicking on a mobile and think tap and swipe. These interactions may
seem insignificant, but they are actually turning the traditional norms
associated with web browsing on their head.

1 WE SCROLL MORE ON MOBILE!

Behavioural analysis of mobile users shows that the scroll rate is higher on
smartphones than on other devices, with tablets top of the list.

Indeed, while it would be logical to assume that user behaviours would be

similar across all touch screen devices, this is not the case at all since on-the-
move scenarios are a key differentiating factor.

Visibility of content on a page

Percentage
of pages

31%

26%

21%

16%

11%

6%

1% Scroll rate
0-10 10-20 20-30 30-40 40-50 50-60 60-70 70-80 80-90 90-100

Desktop Tablet Mobile

28
4. Scrolling on mobile: compulsive behaviour
 Data gathered during a 6-month analysis of
mobile browsing sessions indicates that mobile Mobile users are
users aren’t put off by long pages and appear to TWICE
consume all of the content offered. AS LIKELY to scroll
down THE
Scrolling seems to be completely intuitive. ENTIRE PAGE

2 INTERACTION IS NOT THE CAUSE OF

RAPID SCROLL ON MOBILE

Scroll speed in pixels per seconds by

This high scroll rate device
comes hand in hand
with another factor
which is key to truly
understanding the
behaviour of mobile
users - scroll speed.
117
PIXELS PER
183
PIXELS PER
SECOND SECOND

Internet users are scrolling faster and faster,

Users scroll and are only scanning the content.

1.6 TIMES
quicker
Their environment and intensive use of social
networks have no doubt influenced the way
on mobile they read online.
than on tablet

4. Scrolling on mobile: compulsive behaviour 29

 Relationship between scroll rate on the page and time spent consuming the content

Spent time
by page

Scroll rate
by page
0-10 10-20 20-30 30-40 40-50 50-60 60-70 70-80 80-90 90-100

Desktop Tablet Mobile

E-retailers face the big challenge of managing to grab the attention of

mobile users who tend to be using their phone in situations that are not very
conducive to reading in detail. While the task of understanding the behaviour
of smartphone users is crucial, so too is optimising the content in order to
offer mobile visitors a unique user experience.

It’s important to consider the context in which the content will be consumed.
People don’t actually read 20,000-character texts on their mobiles on the
metro. It’s an area we’re still working on with the aim of providing the most
relevant content at the right time on the right device.

Samuel Vandamme,
E-commerce & Digital Director - MICROMANIA

We have noticed that very often mobile users try to zoom in on

the content they’re viewing. However, this gesture can lead to
frustration.
TIP Ensure your content is adapted to be responsive!

30
4. Scrolling on mobile: compulsive behaviour
 CHAPTER V

ENCOURAGING
WINDOW
SHOPPING: LIST AND
STORE LOCATOR
PAGES

The winning duo for

the majority of users
 Mobile users have shown themselves to be quite impulsive and
unfocused, and additional characteristics help us to further clarify
their profile.
In fact, mobile users also have a tendency to look into things, even
when actually buying on the mobile site is not yet possible.

LIST PAGES, A FAVOURITE OF

1
MOBILE USERS

While the use of tablet and desktop facilitates the viewing of product pages,
list pages are popular on smartphones given the intensive use of scroll.

Pages with no real end or pages with infinite scroll seem to meet the
expectations of our time-strapped mobile users (see graph to the right) who are
nonetheless willing to select products to come back to and buy later at the right
time.

In light of this trend, the

inclusion of a wishlist
We have gradually made all our web journeys or ‘save cart for
responsive and have adopted a mobile-first later’ functionality is
design as part of this approach. strongly recommended
to enable mobile
users to retrieve their
Pascal Lannoo, products on their next
Director of Customer Digital Experience - visit.
Voyages SNCF

32
5. Encouraging window shopping: list and store locator pages
 32%
28%
30%
26%
28%
24%
26%
Importance of List and Product pages by device
22%
24%
20%
Percentage 22% Mobile Tablet
of page views
in a session 20%
Mobile Tablet List page Desktop Produ
38%
List page Product page
36%
34%

32%

30%
28%

26%

24%
22%

20%
Mobile Tablet Desktop

List page Product page

Mobile users love list pages.

Prioritise displaying entries in categories on the Home Page!

TIPS Interacting with traditional filters on a mobile can often be a real

struggle.
Think mobile-first for your filters too!

We have different types of users on mobile and desktop. On mobile, the

target audience is younger (aged 15-25). These users window-shop, look
into products they like and consume a lot of content. On the other hand,
desktop users are commonly mums (aged 35-45) who make purchases
directly and so consume less content.

Matthieu Galtie,
Director of Digital Marketing, E-commerce and CRM - Volcom

33
5. Encouraging window shopping: list and store locator pages
 Information is crucial for triggering purchases. Betting isn’t a matter of chance;
it involves a certain amount of thought. Punters need to have as much
information as possible. The content on mobile is very strategic.

Julie LONDON,
Digital Marketing Manager - PMU

THE STORE LOCATOR -

2
A SAT NAV LEADING TO PURCHASES

The tendency of mobile users to window shop is accompanied by their

intensive use of store locators. Smartphones are one of the tools involved in
the process of making a physical purchase as well as for finding out store
information.

Average position for visiting the store locator

1 IN 3
MOBILE USERS
will abandon a site

4thPAGE
7th
PAGE
6th
PAGE
after viewing its store
locator

Brands should capitalise on this key visit to trigger an intention to buy and
promote interdependence between their different distribution channels. The
use of push notifications and other beacons makes it possible to envisage
transfer of the mobile user’s personal information to enhance the user
experience.

The approach to triggering purchases on mobile sites needs reinventing

in order to offer users the simplified journey they require given the many
constraints in their environment.
34
5. Encouraging window shopping: list and store locator pages
CHAPTER VI

BUILDING
LOYALTY
ON MOBILE
SITES
 Hard-pressed mobile users in environments which are not very
conducive to browsing “at leisure” on a smartphone and, consequently,
result in weak conversion rates: all the cards seem to be stacked
against customers buying on mobile sites. So how do we explain the
strong conversion rates recorded on apps which are used on the
same device? Undoubtedly because the latter offer the very things
that mobile users are unable to find on mobile sites: a simple user
interface, tailored content and trust.

RETURNING
65%
VISITORS -
1
LESS COMMON ON MOBILE
60%
65%
55%
60%
50%
55%
45%
50%
Unlike on desktop and40%
tablet, visitors don’t rush back on mobile. While 60% of
45%
visitors are new on mobile,
35% the same percentage of new and returning visitors
40%
are recorded on desktop
30%
and tablet.
35%
25%
30%
20%
device in25%
Distribution of new visitors according toMobile question Desktop Tablet
20%
New Mobile Returning Desktop
65%

60% New

55%

50%
45%
40%

35%
30%
25%
20%
Mobile Desktop Tablet
36 New Returning loyalty on mobile sites
6. Building
 Comparison of return visits on
mobile and desktop
When they do decide to return,
other devices are more popular
among returning visitors than
mobile, even on high-traffic sites:

3.4 5.8
SESSIONS SESSIONS
Our mobile site is most often
visited by new users who have
come via a search engine, and This behaviour indicates that the
the app, by higher-spending, quality of the experience on the
loyal punters. mobile site does not convince
mobile users to come back often.

Julie LONDON,
Digital Marketing Manager - PMU

A mobile internet user is

In fact, the probability of a returning
visitor logging in to their customer
account on a mobile site is 2.9%
4 TIMES
LESS LIKELY
while the probability is higher on to log in to their customer
desktop at 10.7%. account.

MOBILE USERS DO NOT MAKE THE

2
EFFORT TO LOG IN

Following on from the above, visitors are not inclined to provide personal
information and then quickly abandon the site.

37
6. Building loyalty on mobile sites
 We estimate that mobile users are 40% less likely to come across an account
creation page on a mobile than on a desktop or tablet.

A mobile internet user is

40%
less likely to reach
the account
creation page
Apps succeed where mobile sites
fail by creating a real connection
with mobile users, suggesting a
personalised journey and, above all,
facilitating the last stage: payment.
Given its conversion potential,
mobile sites could emulate apps, but
this will require changing the vision
of the user journey on mobile!
There is nothing more
annoying than a brand
which holds complete
information about you, but
asks you for it again each
time. Customers must be
able to log in quickly and
link to an existing account
or loyalty card. One-click
payments are something
that we’re currently working
on.

As mentioned at the start of

this study, mobile users are
TIP extremely impatient. Samuel Vandamme,
Help your mobile users! E-commerce & Digital
Director - MICROMANIA
Facilitate the completion of any
forms by adding dynamic data
validation!

38
6. Building loyalty on mobile sites
CHAPTER VII

GETTING
CUSTOMERS
TO BUY:
A FINE ART
 Having analysed the behaviours identified on mobile sites, we now
need to rethink the entire purchase process right through to payment
(i.e. the checkout) in order to offer our mobile customers a seamless
and secure user experience.

A LOWER AVERAGE PURCHASE VALUE

1
ON MOBILE

On mobile, not only have conversion rates remained stagnant, but the
average purchase value is still much lower than on desktop. The reluctance
of mobile users to provide their bank information on sites they do not
consider to be very safe explains in large part the lower average purchase
value than on desktop and tablet.

Distribution of average purchase values according to device

65%

60%
55%
50%
45%
40%

35%

30%
25%
Average
20% cart in €
01-20 20-40 40-60 60-80 80-100 sup. à 100

Desktop Tablet Mobile

40
7. Getting customers to buy: a fine art
 THE SHOPPING CART - THE MOST
2
DANGEROUS MOMENT

Mobile users may abandon a site The shopping cart

even before proceeding to the abandonment rate is
checkout. We see that the shopping
cart abandonment rate is 30%
higher than on desktop.
30% HIGHER
on mobile

CTAs: As mentioned at the start of this study, mobile users

scroll compulsively.
Position your shopping cart confirmation CTAs at the top of
TIP the page or run the risk of your mobile users missing them
altogether!

EXIT POINTS: Mobile users back out readily.

Limiting exit points and back and forth navigation is a must.
At this stage, the product images play a key role in the
purchase process. Use big product images to limit accidental
TIP taps!

REINVENTING THE CHECKOUT ON

3
MOBILE: A NECESSITY

On mobile, the checkout should be a huge focus area. The few mobile users
who manage to get this far spend twice as long here than on other devices!

41
7. Getting customers to buy: a fine art
 In addition to price, mobile
users’ lack of trust also impacts % of session time spent completing the
different stages of the purchase process
on purchasing and this can
be measured through the time
35%
spent at the checkout. In fact,
the boldest take about 69%
more time than on a desktop. 30%

25%

20%

On average, mobile users

spend 15%

69%
MORE TIME
10%
Mobile Desktop Tablet

at the checkout

Numerous solutions exist to reverse this typical reluctance during the

purchasing process and particularly at the payment stage.
For example conversion rates in Asia demonstrate that poor performance
need not be inevitable!

In Japan, mobile sales have almost overtaken tablet and desktop sales.

This trend will make its way to Europe over the next few years.

Charlotte Ichard,
International Director of Digital Projects & CRM, Petit Bateau

42
7. Getting customers to buy: a fine art
 EXIT POINTS: Mobile users back out readily. Limiting exit points
and back and forth navigation is a must.
These days, it’s the menu that can play tricks on you!
TIP Eliminate the Burger Menu to avoid unhelpful
back and forth navigation!

Account creation and the fateful Mobile users abandon

registration form are still the main account creation
blackspots at this stage of mobile
internet use. 16% of mobile users will
leave the site at this stage versus 10% on
1.5 TIMES MORE
than on desktop
desktop: in other words, 1.5 times more.

To make purchasing a smoother process, it’s necessary to remove

the obstacles to account creation and payment, both of which can be
laborious on a mobile phone

Samuel Vandamme,
E-commerce and Digital Director - MICROMANIA

As Samuel Vandamme comments above, the main obstacle to purchasing on

mobile is still the payment stage.

The involvement of a third party, in this case a secure payment platform

such as Paypal, offers the real advantage of reassuring mobile users, but this
would be more effective if it were integrated into the retailer’s site.

Mastercard is working to develop payment by “selfie” - a fashionable trend

on social networks which consists of using a smartphone to take a photo of
yourself.

43
7. Getting customers to buy: a fine art
 By investing in biometrics, Mastercard hopes to convince Apple, Facebook
and Google in particular to take part in this ambitious project.
The development of Mobile Wallets appears to meet the needs of e-retailers
in all respects.
Combining mobile payments and a CRM tool, these wallets incorporate a
better understanding of the tastes of users as well as a customer loyalty tool
just as e-retailers are thinking of eliminating the information silos obtained on
each distribution channel.

Regardless of the channel used, mobile users want just one thing: simplicity.

The success of apps such as Uber and Foodora lies in understanding this
need. Once a mobile user has saved their personal information, they can
expect a service which works using the functionalities found in smartphones.
Uber will not ask you to input your new bank details. It will suggest you use
your smartphone camera to communicate these.

We offer a number of different payment methods. One-click payment

speeds up the purchasing process.
Our users only need to take out their credit card when
they need to pay money into their account.

Julie London,
Digital Marketing Manager, PMU

Based on smartphone apps, the transmission of personal information

is simplified, thereby allowing so-called one-click payments. Thanks to
the analysis of mobile user behaviours, website design could cater to
environments which are not very conducive to consuming content in detail.

The possibilities are endless and tips are available for improving the user
experience on mobile sites. But crucially, analysis of mobile user behaviours
and their needs should be put right at the centre of any mobile strategy.

44
7. Getting customers to buy: a fine art
 CONCLUSION

A powerful conversion lever capable of substituting sales on other

devices, the smartphone has succeeded in getting users hooked on
apps. As for mobile sites, optimisation work is the order of the day
in order to build loyalty among mobile users and trigger purchasing.

In this context, understanding the user experience and the user/

machine interactions specific to mobiles can no longer be considered
a luxury for e-retailers.

It has to be said that users are the ones setting the pace where trends
are concerned these days. The days of waterfall projects are over.
Now it’s all about ongoing optimisation to remain on the pulse of this
frenetic technological race and keep up with the rapid development
of touchscreen uses. Your mobile customers change their minds all
the time - learn to follow them!

As this study has shown, going forward e-retailers should focus

on two fundamental areas: capturing the interest of visitors and
facilitating the transmission of personal information.

Let’s not resign ourselves to letting apps prevail, but instead offer

45
 wide-ranging solutions to mobile users, particularly since traffic on
apps remains weak. As highlighted throughout this study, mobile sites
offer incredible conversion potential. It’s now a case of hooking users
and turning this spark into a burning desire to buy.

Fine and detailed analysis of the behaviour of users on mobile is a

fundamental element which e-retailers can and should take into
account this year. Thanks to UX research, mobile strategies are set to
gain rapidly in efficiency. This study outlines some great opportunities
and we can expect the obstacles to purchasing described here to be
overcome very soon.

There are bright days ahead for mobile e-commerce.

Mobile - we can’t not go there!

This is perhaps the first time that use has moved more quickly than
what e-retailers are offering. Investing in this area is essential because
the business of the future will be played out on mobile.
What’s more, buying traffic on mobile is still a bit cheaper than on
desktop, at least for now.
Samuel VANDAMME,
E-commerce & Digital Director - MICROMANIA

Psychological obstacles still remain in 2016 and require the same

approach as when e-commerce first started.
Reassurance is key and goes hand in hand with the need for simple
user journeys.
Pascal Lannoo,
Director of Customer Digital Experience - Voyages SNCF

46
 We would like to thank the following people
for their invaluable comments:
CSF,
Histoire d’Or,
Micromania,
Petit Bateau,
PMU,
Volcom,
Voyages SNCF.

ContentSquare, Liberty House,

222 Regent Street, London, W1B 5TR

matthew.robinson@contentsquare.com, +(44) 20 7297 2565

CONTENT
SQUARE 47
 CONTENT
SQUARE

ContentSquare is an experience optimization platform for online

and mobile businesses that uniquely captures visitor behavior
insights to measure user experience, increase engagement and
improve conversion rates. ContentSquare empowers brands to
measure content performance, understand visitor intentions and
explain consumer decisions when they do or do not purchase.

Using artificial intelligence to provide automatic recommendations,

ContentSquare’s ease-of-use and unique performance indicators
ensures all teams in an organization can easily make data-driven
decisions.

matthew.robinson@contentsquare.com / +(44) 20 7297 2565