When I buy things on my phone
I was trying to make a purchase on my phone the other day, while riding home on the T after work. I just wanted to buy a pair of jeans from a brand that I know I like. I had the size and style all set. But by the time I got to checkout, the experience had become incredibly annoying. So I stopped. This probably sounds familiar to you. Who really likes typing a bunch of stuff on their phone while out and about? Who likes having to whip out their credit card while riding the train or walking around?
Hint: no one.
So, when do I actually buy things on my phone?
Here’s what I came up with:
- When I can use Apple Pay
- When I can scan my credit card
- When a trusted app saves my payment information
- When I desperately want something and only have access to my phone
In the first three situations, it comes down to the least amount of effort I can put into making my purchase. I don’t have to type a lot on my phone. I barely have to do anything, really.
In the last scenario, when I desperately want something, when I’m willing to stick out a ridiculously long checkout experience, it has to be something I really, really want. Something like tickets to Chance the Rapper that just went on sale and might sell out. Or the perfect gift for my sister that I don’t want to forget later. Or that sushi I have been craving all day and want to arrive at my home right when I do.
Don’t you hate submitting up to 11 different tiny form fields just to make a purchase? It’s no wonder that mobile conversion rates are so abysmal. Even more, when you’re using your phone you’re probably also multitasking — so you don’t want to have to stop and focus solely on a lengthy form.
Consultant Tomi Ahonen breaks it down into different types of tasks based on device type. On our phones, we spend 30 seconds to 3 minutes at a time doing these tasks. They’re unplanned and happen while you’re walking or while you find moments of free time throughout your day. For a brand to truly engage you in those moments, they need to match your mindset. You didn’t sit down on your laptop for some online shopping; you saw something you liked and went to buy it.
Brands aren’t creating purchasing experiences that match mobile browsing habits. And it’s hitting them where it hurts.
Brands are seeing significant increases in mobile traffic (me on the train home trying to buy jeans, for example). But because the site doesn’t meet my demands of being easy to use, I leave. It’s much easier to mindlessly scroll through Instagram or use the time to be productive and answer some work emails. The brand lost my attention, and therefore lost my purchase.
Breaking the cycle requires us to take a step back and think about how we use our phones, so we can apply our own mobile browsing habits to our sites.
