Member Article

Debenhams rated top for mobile retail

British retailer Debenhams has been rated as the top company for its mobile shopping services by a report into consumer attitudes.

Debenhams scored a mark of 90% with shoppers, while travel firm Expedia came second alongside Argos with a joint mark of 85%.

A survey of 1,000 consumers was carried out by OnePoll in March 2013, to look at the top 30 retailers’ mobile websites and apps.

Retailers were found to be working harder on mobile services to meet consumer demand, while digital marketing on portable devices has become much more important.

An average score of 55% amongst the top 30 retailers showed an improvement from 47% in 2011.

The study, which was published by EPiServer, also revealed an improved focus on mobile websites amongst the top retailers.

In 2011, 30% of the top 10 didn’t have a mobile site, which has now improved significantly with just 17% of the top 30 without a mobile site.

The top performing retailers after Debenhams, Expedia and Argos, were Tesco, Amazon UK, IKEA, ASOS, John Lewis and Topshop, which came in joint seventh, and ASDA.

David Bowen, product manager for EPiServer, commented: “It is clear that over the last two years retailers have strived to grasp the mobile opportunity.

“Top performer Debenhams in particular is a great example of how having a solution for each platform and offering a contextualised mobile experience across each is the winning formula for delivering a premium customer experience, and ultimately increasing conversions and sales.”

Retail consultant, Graham Soult, from CannyInsights.com, added: “I’m not surprised that Debenhams has finished top in this study.

“It’s recent success has come from building a truly multichannel offer that allows customers to buy and receive their goods in a multitude of convenient ways – whether that’s shopping in branch, ordering via in-store kiosks, or using the mobile app while on the move.

“The result of this innovation and investment is that more than 30% of Debenhams’ online sales now come via mobile devices.

“This study reminds us that mobile commerce is on an upward trajectory, and is only going to get bigger. Clearly not all businesses operate on the scale of Debenhams, but a website that works on mobile devices should certainly be part of any retailer’s armoury.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Miranda Dobson .