Nostalgia no doubt helped drive the recent Pokémon Go phenomenon, but another factor — one that will become critical to retailers’ future success — was also at play.
In the past few years, consumers have increasingly embraced smartphones and tablets; indeed, many people now use mobile devices as their primary path online.
According to a recent study, smartphones were used in 45.1% of visits to online retailers in the first quarter of 2016; from Q2 2013 to Q4 2015, the revenue from sales made via mobile devices almost tripled; and mobile phones will account for 60% of all e-commerce traffic by the end of 2017.
SEE ALSO: How has Pokémon Go affected Asia and China retail?
Clearly, retailers need to prepare for the coming mobile takeover of e-commerce.
Macy’s, for example, is about to test a shopping app called “Macy’s On-Call,” which uses IBM Watson’s artificial-intelligence technology to help customers find precisely what they want in 10 pilot locations.
Retailers are in the business of building loyalty and profitability, and successful stores do that by anticipating and meeting the evolving demands of their customers better than their competitors do.
As Pokémon Go has shown, the mobile commerce revolution is here, so stores will need to create apps that that combine and enhance shoppers’ online and in-store experiences.
(Source: Payments Source)