THE ERA OF PORTABLE DEVICES FOR ONLINE SHOPPING
You must get yourself ready for your best friend’s birthday party in two days and you neither have a party dress which she has not yet seen nor have you purchased the wrist watch she has been longing for as a birthday gift! You are unable to manage time to hit the shopping mall because of your busy schedule. This scenario might have made you cringe a few years back, but thanks to online shopping, this is not even a nightmare anymore. You can just order the stuff you need for yourself and your friend and you are all set to hit the party! But wait! The online shopping site from which you are planning to make the purchase works only after you download and install their app. Not a big deal! Thanks to your smartphone which has become your versatile companion, helping you out in every possible way! The fact at present day is that people prefer using phones for online shopping more than any other thing. Tablets were initially thought to be the medium between the computers and the mobile phones. However, in the present scenario of online shopping ecosystem, the phones appear to be the king of the jungle because they are now the devices of choice.
WHY PORTABLE DEVICES?
Initially, the whole of the internet was mostly accessed from the computer systems. Smartphones were not everyone’s toys. But at present, things have changed and even your nephew of thirteen years has a good smartphone that meets all her needs. So, once the smartphones gained access to the internet widely, the usage of computer system reduced manifold.
The first reason why portable devices are used is that they are ‘portable’! You can carry them anywhere and do your emergency shopping from the device sitting on your palm, instead of starting the laptop or the desktop, that takes too much of time and energy rather! Phones are extensively used portable devices as they have overshadowed tablets in terms of performance, speed and portability. Though tablets are also a wise choice among portable devices, phones are the commonest because of their light weight and reasonable size.
Many of the online shopping sites operate only on apps. It is a tedious task and an uncommon thing to run an online shopping app from the laptop or desktop computers. Here come the tablets and phones again. Moreover, added discounts are often offered on purchase using apps.
The usage of portable devices implies a reduction in the conversion time of browsing into a purchase. You can make a short trip to the online shopping site on your way to your office and add the items you like to your wish list. You will have ample time later to make the decision of purchasing the right kind. It would be an inconvenient choice to use a laptop for short trips to these online shopping malls when the laptop is shut down. But your mobile and tablet are always on. So you know which choice is more convenient.
The owners of smartphones mostly use mobile data. The super fast 4G has changed the way you browse and shop online. The smartphones come with high specifications that ensure high-speed browsing. Your laptop might also have a high speed online access, but when your phone has it as well, why worry about getting your lap engaged when your palm can do the trick as well?
THE PRESENT STATUS
The usage of portable devices has seen a sharp rise since 2014 when only 22% people preferred phones while 40% used their laptops. The phones alone account for 119% of growth in shopping sites and website visits. Tablets contribute to 19%. About 43% of online shopping occurs over the phone globally. Tablets and mobile phones are very efficient modes of shopping for both busy and lazy people because they have successfully lowered the shopping time by about 12% to an average of 8.4 minutes.
Consumers have turned into digital omnivores- not because of the media they consume, but because of the way in which they consume it. Thanks to the smartphones, tablets and other connected devices. Researchers have shown that people preferably buy things they buy regularly when they use portable devices for the shopping. However, it fosters the consumers to prefer and keep returning to the brands and retailers they trust, thereby building up the customer-retailer loyalty. Consumers are often observed to have used laptops or computers for buying expensive things that require lots of thoughts and research to be done before the purchase.
So, this is the era of portable devices for online shopping. Trust the device at your hand and indulge in the pleasures of online shopping.
