Marks & Spencer and Tesco lead the pack among British retailers in mobile with easy-to-use and information-packed sites, according to a new report from ForeSee.

The ForeSee Experience Index looks at customer satisfaction across the top 10 mobile retail Web sites in Britain and includes almost 2,500 surveys. One of the more interesting findings in the study is the focus on navigation when it comes to customer satisfaction.

“Simply put, the Marks & Spencer mobile experience delivers on consumers’ expectations,” said Eric Feinberg, senior director of mobile, media and entertainment at ForeSee, Ann Arbor, MI.

“In mobile, UK consumers expect touch-friendly navigation tiles, persistently available primary navigation, easy-to-find and use store finders and detailed product pages,” he said.

“Also, since the intent of UK mobile users is so split between researchers and purchasers, Marks & Spencer also does a nice job of catering to these divergent user personas well.”

Breaking down customer satisfaction?
Out of a possible 100 points, ForeSee found that the average Web site receives a 77 point satisfaction score compared to the 73 point average on mobile, showing the disparity between marketers’ Web and mobile commerce efforts.

Both Marks & Spencer and Tesco’s mobile sites had the highest levels of customer satisfaction with a score of 75.

Despite the fact that Marks & Spencer had the top-ranked mobile site, its score of 75 points is slightly less than its Web site, which received a score of 77 points.

ForeSee claims that a one-point difference in customer satisfaction translates to a 10.6 percent increase in online revenue.

When it comes to mobile, speed and ease are the top requirements for consumers, meaning that Marks & Spencer could be missing out on a significant opportunity to drive on-device sales.

Tesco is also the only retailer surveyed that had a higher score on mobile than on desktop, showing how retailers’ mobile presences still lag significantly behind the Web.

Sports Direct, Next and Currys all averaged the same satisfaction score across mobile and Web.

Sports Direct and Next both averaged a 74 point customer satisfaction score, and Currys generated 70 points.

Other top-performing sites included N Brown, Ocado and Sainsbury’s. The lowest-ranked mobile site was Shop Direct with a score of 69 points.

Marks & Spencer’s mobile site

Following the customer cycle?
ForeSee’s report also looked at the various ways that consumers are making transactions from their mobile devices.

Interestingly, Web sites are a starting point for 59 percent of mobile app and site shoppers.

Additionally, 46 percent of the consumers surveyed said that they used their devices to research products while 20 percent actually made a purchase from their smartphone or tablet.

Fifteen percent used their mobile device to compare either products or prices while shopping in-store. Seven percent of the in-store shoppers specifically used the brand’s mobile app while in-store.

At the same time that consumers are engaging with brands’ digital assets while in-store, showrooming also continues to grow.

The study found that 64 percent of consumers accessed a retailer’s Web site and 29 percent went to a competitor’s Web site while in-store. Seventeen percent of consumers accessed a shopping comparison Web site.

When it comes to channels that are influencing consumers to shop through their mobile devices, SMS messages and alerts lead to satisfied shoppers, according to ForeSee’s findings.

Consumers who were influenced by either SMS messages or alerts had an average satisfaction score of 78 points. Social media ads and friend recommendations led to a customer satisfaction score of 77.

On the other hand, the average consumer coming to a mobile site through search engines only generated a customer satisfaction score of 72 points.

“Consumers take the journey that is right for them on the path to purchase,” Mr. Feinberg said.

“Brands are charged with creating a harmonious omnichannel experience,” he said. “In a perfect world, mobile and Web customer experience scores will be higher and be equal because a company will have satisfied its customers in the channel of their preference.”

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