This week, digital benchmarking firm L2 Inc released its 5th annual Intelligence Report: Mobile 2017.
The L2 report evaluates the mobile competence of 100 consumer brands across Activewear, Auto, Beauty & Hair Care, Big Box, Consumer Electronics, Department Stores, Fashion, Grocery & CPG, and Specialty Retail.
If you’re not familiar, the report provides an analysis of brand sites, apps, email, search, and paid media as it relates to performance on mobile devices, classifying brands as either Leaders, Content-First, Marketing-First, or Laggards.
“Traffic to mobile sites and apps has surpassed traffic to desktop destinations since 2014,” explained Evan Neufeld, VP of intelligence at L2. “Yet the majority of the brands we studied still fail to fully realize the opportunities of creating content for the small screen, and are unable to find a balance between creating compelling mobile content and marketing that content appropriately.”
Key Findings from L2’s report include:
- Mind the Gap: Ninety-four percent of tracked brands adapt their site content for mobile. However, only 12 percent of brands deploy unique mobile UX features such as 360-degree product views, anchored navigation, and app linking.
- Missing Checkout Convenience: While expediency is crucial to mobile conversion, the average mobile checkout process is 3 pages long and requires 12 form fields to fill in per page. Further, only 14 percent of DTC brands offer a single-page mobile checkout process, risking the chance of pushing users away, especially if each page takes too long to load.
- App Sophistication: Despite their perceived shortcomings, mobile apps have been adopted by 51 percent of Index brands. However, adoption of innovative app-specific features remains low as only 44 percent incorporate credit card scanner, 31 percent offer touch ID login, and just 16 percent include mobile wallet integration.
“To differentiate from competitors, best-in-class brands must invest in features that streamline the browsing experience, such as personalized recommendations and auto-complete on checkout pages,” noted Evan Bakker, Senior Research Associate at L2. “Brands must support their apps with regular updates, app store marketing, search advertising, and promotion on the brand site – providing as much care and detail to their mobile initiatives as they do with their desktop and traditional media investments.”
To learn more about L2 and their latest report, click here.
