Study: Mobile shoppers will abandon cart if needs not met

Reston, Va. -- Consumers have high expectations for retail care when shopping via mobile device, and if those expectations aren't met, they'll abandon the experience entirely, according to a new study from Contact Solutions. Fifty-one percent abandon the cart and close the app (lost purchase) when they struggle in a retail app, and 20% stop using the app entirely.



“Retailer investments in online and mobile shopping experiences are starting to pay off, but keeping the trend going requires much more attention to customer care,” said John Hibel, director of marketing, Contact Solutions. “Customers are using apps more frequently for shopping, but when they encounter problems and cannot get the help they need, the results are disastrous for retailers. The solution is simple – invest more in your app's customer care offerings so it can meet your customers' expectations and provide them with a seamless shopping experience.”



The Contact Solutions shopper study “Mobile Shopping Cliffhanger” shows consumers are increasingly shopping via mobile device, but need more frequent access to customer care. Key findings include:



Online shopping is widespread: Three out of four shoppers shop online, and 30% of shoppers shop on a mobile device at least as much as they shop on a computer.



Shopping via mobile device is becoming more commonplace than ever before: One out of 10 shoppers already prefer mobile apps exclusively for their online shopping.



Mobile shopping isn't perfect: Sixteen percent of consumers say they struggle with mobile shopping apps at least half the time, and 38% of respondents said they are disappointed with the inability to get help within a mobile app



When consumers struggle in your app, they abandon it (and their carts): 51% abandon the cart and close the app (lost purchase) when they struggle in a retail app, and 20% stop using the app entirely.



Shoppers consistently struggle to get in-app help: More than half (55%) of consumers say they struggle at least once every five visits.



Consumers want in-app customer care: 92% of shoppers say it would be helpful to have customer care automatically provided within an app to help complete a task or goal.