According to the 2013 Shop.org/Forrester Research's State Of Retailing Online survey, respondents are split regarding mobile's impact on conversion rates. Overall, the study shows a slight net positive impact: 36 percent of retailers surveyed say that mobile sales and traffic have helped their company's overall web conversion rate, while 29 percent have felt a negative impact.
The study was revealed at a morning session Sunday at the the NRF's annual convention.
Overall, more than half (51 percent) of retailers surveyed say their top priority for 2013 is site optimization, including checkout optimization, alternative payments, user experience, testing, and product detail page enhancements. More than one-quarter (27 percent) plan to prioritize site redesign, including overhauling the "look and feel" and implementing responsive design changes.
In a statement, the two groups said the "back to basics" refocus on customer experience and increasing web conversion comes as shoppers become increasingly connected wherever they go.
Shop.org Executive Director Vicki Cantrell said retailers have dedicated much of the past 12 to 18 months to developing and testing rich mobile offerings for both customers and store associates.
"While direct mobile commerce is still small, mobile services are now an established and significant part of the shopping experience," said Ms. Cantrell. "Retailers this year are smartly investing to create a holistic customer experience across stores, desktop, and mobile to improve conversion rates, grow crucial repeat customer business, and even capture their share of customer demand from international markets."
Forrester Research Vice President and Principal Analyst Sucharita Mulpuru said in a statement that it will be important in 2013 for retailers to "to pause and understand the opportunities, distractions, and implications of mobile within the e-commerce landscape."
Other findings from the study:
- More than half (58 percent) of those surveyed say their conversion rates in 2012 grew over 2011, while their cart abandonment rate was either stable or even down compared to 2011;
- More than half (53 percent) have been able to increase the average order value for repeat customers over the past year;
- Another half (52 percent) have seen an increase in their repeat customer rate.