Retailers should not overlook mobile’s role as an in-store resource for researching and comparison pricing, according to a new report from Maxymiser.

Maxymiser’s “Mobilizing the Retail Shopping Experience” report points to personalization and segmentation as key differentiators for retailer mobile sites and applications for combining in-store activity and commerce. In addition to the 39 percent of consumers that said that they were most likely to use their device for a store-related shopping trip in-store, 19 percent said that they use their device on the way to a store.

“The biggest takeaway from this study is that there is no excuse for retailers to not optimize and personalize their mobile presence,” said Paul Dunay, vice president of global marketing at Maxymiser, New York.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re a Fortune 500 retailer with millions of unique monthly visitors, or if you’re a brand that is still in the early stages of setting up a dedicated mobile presence,” he said.

“The retailers that come out on top of the mobile commerce battle will be the ones who create a mobile customer experience that gives consumers the type of content they need, when they want it and how they want it.”

The study was collected from July 2 – 5 and includes responses from 1,000 adults that identified themselves as having an interest in retail. Additionally, participants owned at least one smartphone and one tablet.

More than mcommerce
Although mobile commerce continues to grow, for many retailers mobile is more of a way to bring the online and in-store experience together with information.

Electronics, clothing and food retailers were the top three types of retailers that consumers were most likely to visit via a mobile site.

When it comes to activities that consumers are doing in-store, 19 percent of consumers comparison shopped or browsed, and 14 percent used their devices to find the nearest store.

Twelve percent of consumers used their devices to find and redeem mobile coupons and offers in-store.

Amazon’s Price Check Android app

Less is more
Mobile sites and applications are increasingly becoming more sophisticated and contextual. However, Maxymiser’s study points to consumers wanting a simple and instinctive mobile experience first and foremost.

In fact, 65 percent of consumers cited an easy-to-use experience and fast-loading experience as the No.1 factor when visiting a retailer’s mobile site. Similarly, 12 percent of consumers wanted an easy-to-find search bar to use.

If a mobile site is not up to its projected experience, 30 percent of consumers said that they would leave a site and go to a competitor’s mobile site. Nine percent of consumers would never return to the mobile site after a poor experience.

The remaining percentage of consumers replied that they would either return less often or leave a site and come back to the site later on a desktop or PC device. The problem with this group of consumers is that they are less likely to remember to visit the retailer’s Web site when they are in front of a desktop later.

Only 2 percent of consumers wanted to find a checkout button on a mobile site.

Forty-eight percent of consumers said that they would be willing to spend $100 or less when shopping via mobile. Thirty percent of consumers set their shopping limit between $101-$200, and 23 percent of consumers would spend $200 or more when buying items via their mobile device.

Consumers are also spending substantial amounts of time on their devices.

According to the report, roughly 41 percent of consumers spend two hours or more a day on their mobile devices. Thirty-seven percent spend between one to two hours per day on their smartphones and tablets, with the remaining group of consumers spending an hour or less on their mobile devices.

Given mobile’s increasing role in holiday shopping over the past few years, retailers should expect for the medium to play an even greater role this year.

“Creating primary and secondary conversion goals can go a long way in helping retailers get sophisticated with the digital campaigns they’re running,” Mr. Dunay said.

“Another critical factor in a retailer’s success will be in how they leverage advanced multivariate testing to deliver the most intuitive and relevant product pages, shopping cart, checkout and payment process on their Web site,” he said.

“There’s also tremendous value in segmenting audiences based on customers’ mobile devices. This will ensure that a retailer’s mobile customer experience is highly personal, relevant, engaging, and most importantly, will drive multichannel sales.”

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is associate reporter on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York