Newegg cracks mobile success code
Online consumer electronics retailer Newegg Inc. is giving mobile consumers what they want.
A comprehensive redesign of Newegg’s mobile shopping experience includes a new mobile site optimized for viewing on mobile devices, and universal apps for Android and iOS devices. Newegg says this is the most comprehensive mobile refresh in its history.
“Rather than take the iterative approach of updating individual components of our mobile platform, we felt our customers would appreciate a complete redesign of Newegg’s mobile shopping experience,” said James Wu, COO of Newegg. “As a result, every customer who interacts with Newegg on a mobile device will find it easier to research, compare and purchase products.”
The redesign includes a streamlined shopping experience on the Newegg mobile site. This encompasses improved navigation and functionality improvements to find products of interest, the ability to compare a subset of those products, and easier checkout when it’s time to make a purchase.
In addition, Newegg followed the latest Android and iOS design guidelines to develop universal apps for both platforms. Specific to iOS, Newegg’s new app integrates with iCloud, enabling over-the-air automatic synchronization across all iOS devices, eliminating the need to download the app multiple times for use on more than one device.
Shoppers using iOS and Android devices will experience a number of improvements. These include a new personal homepage that can be customized with shortcuts to particular categories or products; the ability to set price alerts for any product they choose; and a barcode scanner to check how Newegg’s prices compare to brick-and-mortar stores.
Newegg’s new iOS and Android apps enable shoppers to add comparison products not only from a list of products, but also from within the product page. This lets customers compare products from different subcategories, a functionality not possible until now.
Newegg also made some key improvements to the checkout process. Mobile shoppers can now add discounted products to their carts without the need to enter a promo code. Customers also have the ability to make edits immediately to their shopping cart, and display important information at the first checkout screen, such as CSC or CVV2 security codes. In addition, Newegg now allows checkout on mobile, and will offer mobile-only deals.
It’s no secret that a steadily increasing number of shoppers now use smartphones and tablets as their primary device for connecting to the Internet. Especially for a pure play online retailer like Newegg, this means mobile shoppers need their own customized experience that is not simply a scaled-down version of the desktop site. If anything, mobile opens more opportunities for personalization and choice, and Newegg is reaping those opportunities.