More Than Half of Smart Phone Users Now Shop Online

Whether you're on the bus, standing in line, or riding on the subway, you will be surrounded by people on their phones. With the popularity of smartphones continuing to rise, people surfing the internet on their mobile phones is occurring more frequently and in more places. In fact, mobile phones and tablets are becoming many people's primary internet devices, which means that more people are doing their online shopping from their mobile phones. With the number of mobile phone users continuing to grow, it's becoming even more important for retailers to build mobile versions of their websites that are optimized for the mobile interface. Many companies are turning to companies like Ebyline to generate and streamline their content to attract the growing number of mobile phone shoppers.

For retailers with online stores, the popularity of mobile phones has a large impact on their sales. Currently there are over 1.2 billion people accessing the internet from their mobile phones. That number represents a large amount of potential customers for retailers, especially because over 88% of mobile phone users say that surfing on their phones makes them more spontaneous when shopping. Clearly, the number of mobile phone sales represents a significant corner of the market, as over 25% of Black Friday shopping was done from mobile phones or tablets. This market isn't showing any signs of slowing down; 63% of people expect to be doing more of their shopping from their phones in the future. Since mobile phones are increasing sales, retailers can benefit greatly from tapping into this growing potential market.


However, in order for retailers to access this market, retailers have to ensure that mobile phone users find their site easy to use. Many sites have not created a mobile version of their page optimized for surfing on a phone. Users who access the page find the print tiny and the links hard to find on their phones. A site that is not optimized for mobile phone usage prevents retailers from taking advantage of the mobile phone market. 57% of mobile phone users say that they leave a site that takes longer than three seconds to load, and 30% of mobile shoppers abandon a transaction if it is not optimized for mobile phones. With the growing market of mobile shoppers, retailers cannot afford to lose their business because of their poor site design.

Successful businesses have recognized the importance of the mobile shopper market, with over 57% of the top 100 brands having mobile-friendly sites. They recognized that with every 100 ms that a website takes to load, sales decrease by 1%. For retailers who want to succeed in the changing market, they need to pursue content and designs that will make their sites mobile phone friendly. Many retailers are using sites that connect them to freelance writers like Ebyline. Hiring freelance writers and web designers through a trusted source helps companies get original quality content for their sites. Freelance writers can include ghost writers and content writers who write original pieces and then sell their work and the rights to it to companies for their use. This content is essential for retailers who are serious about generating sales from mobile phone users.

As mobile phones and tablets continue to improve and the number of users continues to grow, mobile phone optimization will only become more important. Retailers will have to create sites that work well no matter which internet device their shoppers are users. The good news for retailers is that, no matter what the internet device, shopping online inspires spontaneity and will continue to improve sales.