Retailers are Driving a Lot of Mobile Traffic

The latest Internet Trends report says mobile traffic makes up 15 percent of all online traffic. Every industry can benefit from this trend, but it is especially important for the retail industry, which now relies on revenue from e-commerce businesses for continued growth. In 2013, mobile traffic made up 35 percent of all Internet traffic during the five days following Thanksgiving, according to Margaret Kuchler of Akamai. If your company is not taking advantage of mobile traffic, you are missing out on a great opportunity to make sales and attract new customers.

Data from IBM Digital Analytics indicates online retail sales grew by 10.3 percent between the last quarter of 2012 and the last quarter of 2013. This increase in sales corresponds to an increase in mobile traffic. Customers now use smartphones and other mobile devices to locate products, compare prices, and check product reviews. Mobile sales for the same period grew by 46 percent during the same period, showing retailers how important it is to have mobile-friendly websites and shopping apps.

ShopVisible's Influence & Impact report shows smartphones accounted for 15 percent of all traffic in 2013. Tablets accounted for another 15 percent of traffic. Although personal computers still account for 70 percent of all Internet traffic, mobile devices are quickly claiming their share of the market. Surprisingly, the increase in mobile sales did not correspond to the spike of mobile traffic. This shows that mobile users may be more likely to use their devices to browse before they make purchases with traditional browsers. The report also showed that 25 percent of shoppers paid with Amazon Payments, Paypal, and other non-credit card payment methods. If you do not accept at least one of these payment methods, you are missing out on sales.

All of this mobile traffic is great, but how do you take advantage of it and use it to increase sales? Make sure you have a responsive website that works well on smartphones and tablets. If customers can't buy directly from their mobile devices, you will not be able to capitalize on the rise in mobile traffic. Create pillar content that drives people to your website and convinces them that your products are the best solutions for their pains. Video content is especially popular right now, so create videos featuring your products and post those to sites such as YouTube and Vimeo.

The retail industry is benefiting from a significant increase in mobile traffic and gains in mobile sales. If you have yet to capitalize on this additional traffic source, make sure your people are able to access your website via their mobile devices. Create apps or publish video content to attract new customers and spread the word about your products. Make sure you accept an alternate payment source such as Amazon Payments or Paypal. Doing so will make it easier to make money from all the mobile traffic coming to your website.

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