Critical.
Authoritative.
Strategic.
Subscribe to CIO Magazine »

More Aussie retailers need mobile websites: Google

80 per cent of retailers do not have a mobile website

The Australian retail industry is missing a golden opportunity to attract customers by not having a mobile website, according to data from Google Retail.

The study, which was conducted by Google and IPSOS Research, found that while there had been a 220 per cent year-on-year increase in mobile retail queries via mobile in Australia, 80 per cent of retailers do not have a mobile website.

“If you asked a business owner whether they would ignore every fourth customer that walks into their shop this Christmas season, the answer would be no,” said Google Australia head of retail, Ross McDonald.

“But with 25 per cent of Christmas shopping-related queries coming in on smartphones, not having a mobile website is the same thing.”

The research also found that while one in five Australian smartphone owners had made a purchase on their device, 49 per cent had used a smartphone to research and then call Australian businesses, while 45 per cent visited a business they had found using their phone.

McDonald said that while many retailers are missing out on potential sales, home improvement chain, Bunnings, and department store, Myer, are good examples of companies who have a mobile website strategy.

“For example, the first two links on the Bunnings site are for store locations and opening hours,” he said.

“They know consumers are less excited about researching lawn mower features because that’s something people can do at home on a big [computer] screen with more time.”

According to McDonald, the next big opportunity is building a multi-channel retail presence where the online experience is equal to visiting the bricks and mortar store.

“Big W is a great example of that because if you look at one of their products online, the site will also tell you stock levels in the store,” he said.

“You can make the choice about whether you transact with them right now or go around the corner to the store on your way to work.”

His advice for retailers who don't have a mobile website yet is to take a two-step process.

The first step is to develop a mobile website in time for Christmas with store locations and opening hours.

“Longer term into 2012, think about what sort of presence you want to have on a mobile phone. Do you want to be fully transactional or offer only part of your product sets?”

While desktop users are still voting with their fingers and buying from overseas websites due to the strong Australian dollar, McDonald said, it is a different story with mobile websites.

“The biggest enquiries are still for Australian retailers because of the trust factor,” he said.

“If you need to buy something for your Dad this Christmas and you’ve only got a few hours spare on Saturday morning, you’ll use your mobile phone to find the nearest store and what their opening hours are.”

McDonald said there are future opportunities to be “location relevant” with highly targeted advertising and search results for customers.

He confirmed that Google Retail Australia is looking to launch location friendly products next year but could not say what these are yet.

In related news, Harvey Norman (ASX:HVN) has plans to lean on a new e-commerce site, launching early next month, to help generate sales in FY12.

Follow Hamish Barwick on Twitter: @HamishBarwick

Follow Computerworld Australia on Twitter: @ComputerworldAU

Join the CIO Australia group on LinkedIn. The group is open to CIOs, IT Directors, COOs, CTOs and senior IT managers.

More about: Google, Harvey Norman, Norman, Norman
References show all

Comments

Post new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
Users posting comments agree to the CIO comments policy.
Login or register to link comments to your user profile, or you may also post a comment without being logged in.
Related Coverage
Related Whitepapers
Latest Stories
Community Comments
Tags: Bunnings, Google Retail, Harvey Norman, mobile website, myer, retail
Latest Blog Posts
Whitepapers
  • Rapid achievement of employee productivity gains in a modern workforce
    The last few years have seen explosive innovation in the ways that users interact with software applications, resulting in a huge surge in the adoption of tablet, smartphone, and web based social applications. Fortunately there are some simple incremental steps that any organisation can take to transition to a more people centric communications system, while lifting employee productivity. Read more.
    Learn more »
  • Enterprise Buyers Guide for Printers
    Every enterprise owns, and regularly replaces, printers, copiers, multifunctional products and fax machines. The problem most face is not too few choices, but too many. How do you even begin to select the right one? Here is the Computerworld guide to buying a printer for the enterprise.
    Learn more »
  • Advanced Malware Exposed - How advanced malware, zero-day and targeted APT attacks are evading today's network defences
    This handbook shines a light on the dark corners of advanced malware, both to educate as well as to spark renewed efforts against these stealthy and persistent threats. By understanding the tools being used by criminals, we can better defend our nations, our critical infrastructures and our citizens. It is certainly my hope that this book will provide readers with a new understanding of the rapidly developing cyber threat landscape and practical insights into how they can protect their data and computing infrastructures. - Robert F. Lentz, President and CEO, Cyber Security Strategies, LLC
    Learn more »
All whitepapers
rhs_login_lockGet exclusive access to Invitation only events CIO, reports & analysis.
Recent comments