In the digital age, the ongoing growth in mobile usage by consumers is more important to retailers than ever, according to the 2015 Shop.org/Forrester Research State of Retailing Online. The survey revealed that for more than 58 percent of the 71 retailers who participated, mobile development is at the top of their list of priorities.
The 5 percent increase from last year comes as no surprise considering the 4 percent increase in online sales from 2013 to 2014. Still, of the many retailers who cite mobile as their biggest concern, 32 percent spent less than $100,000 on mobile development in 2014.
Omni-channel retailing, or the evolution of multi-channel retailing concentrated on a more seamless consumer experience through mobile, computers, TV and more, is the second biggest focus for retailers, according to the survey. Nearly 40 percent of those surveyed reported that marketing optimization was the third priority for 2014.
While developing mobile apps were previously the main recipient of retailers attention, high development costs and the realization that apps are not the best marketing tool have lead retailers to shift gears to improving and optimizing their mobiles sites instead.
Shop.org is a division of the National Retail Federation.
