BETTER RESULTS FOR MOBILE ECOMMERCE

A revolution is changing the rules of ecommerce.

ARE YOU GETTINGLEFT BEHIND?

— Lauren Picasso

Director of Marketing,

“Deep linking from web to app with Branch was a game-changer for us at Jet. This is the single biggest no brainer for mobile ecommerce in 2016.”

INTRODUCTION: MOBILE IS DRIVING ECOMMERCE

Unfortunately this means nothing unless the user actually has your app and uses it. New customers will not have your app installed, and returning customers likely start their shopping sessions elsewhere:

Email promotion campaignsSEO-influenced organic searchPaid search advertisingAds on social media platformsOrganic and incentivized content

sharing

Mobile apps have long been black boxes that didn’t play nicely with any of these inbound channels. Fortunately there is now a solution.

Mobile deep linking is quickly becoming an industry standard. We understand how complex it is to make changes to a busy, popular app, so to be ready for the 2016 holiday shopping season you need to start planning now.

Your success in mobile ecommerce is highly dependent on the kind of mobile experience you offer.

Mobile contextual deep linking seamlessly integrates your mobile app with marketing tools and techniques you already use.

However, there is still a critical missing piece in mobile ecommerce, even for merchants with native apps.

Online shopping is undergoing a fundamental shift: desktop is out and mobile is in. But if you are in the retail business, simply being able to accept purchases from customers using mobile devices is not enough.

Recent data shows that native mobile apps are superior to mobile websites at every stage of the funnel. Apps generate more views, more purchases, and more revenue per sale.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION: MOBILE IS DRIVING ECOMMERCE

1. ECOMMERCE IN 2016 (MOBILE FIRST)

Native apps are taking over + driving more revenueMobile should be a priority for every retailer“Supporting mobile” is not enoughApps convert better than mobile websites

2. THE MISSING LINK IN NATIVE APPS

Why the mobile experience is still brokenNative apps are cut off from the world

3. FIXING THE NATIVE ECOMMERCE APP

Branch: contextual mobile deep linkingDeep linking is the missing puzzle piece

4. PREPARING FOR THE 2016 HOLIDAYS

Improve your app experience with deep linkingConvert your web visitors to app usersDrive app engagement across all marketing channels

ECOMMERCE IN 2016 (MOBILE FIRST)

Source: https://www.internetretailer.com/2014/08/13/jackthreads-proves-deep-linking-e-mail-apps-boosts-saleshttp://www.businessinsider.com/time-spent-mobile-browsing-vs-apps-2015-9

http://colehaan.com

Native app conversion rate is 54%

Mobile web

conversion rate is 44%

http://colehaan.com

Users spend

20 minutes

per day on mobile

web

Users spend

3.7 hoursper day in

apps

NATIVE APPS ARE TAKING OVER + DRIVING MORE REVENUE

A new generation of customers is going straight to mobile, completely skipping the desktop computer. Mobile-first (or even mobile-only) retailers are gaining momentum, and existing brands are investing heavily in mobile experiences.

Almost 40% of customers who still complete their purchases using a desktop computer are doing research on a mobile device first.

Online shopping is rapidly becoming mobile-first. This trend will accelerate in 2016

Also in 2015, mobile accounted for over 36% of all online Black Friday shopping. This was up from just 30.3% a year earlier.

On Thanksgiving Day 2015, mobile devices generated 64% of traffic and 58% of sales. In 2014 it was only 49% and 35%, respectively.

MOBILE SHOULD BE A PRIORITY FOR EVERY RETAILER

Mobile devices have already overtaken desktop computersin total ecommerce traffic.

Source: http://www.criteo.com/resources/mobile-commerce-report/http://www.channeladvisor.com/blog/?pn=scot/holiday-2015-sss-thanksgiving-final-results-omnichannel-strikes-back

Mobile ecommerce experiences are not all created equal. Though native apps offer higher revenue generation than desktop websites, mobile websites actually perform worse.

“SUPPORTING MOBILE” IS NOT ENOUGHHOW you support mobile makes a huge difference

Source: http://www.criteo.com/resources/mobile-commerce-report/

Native mobile apps are simply a better experience. Faster, more reliable, and seamlessly optimized for the needs of your brand. No wonder app users are up to 18x more loyal.

APPS CONVERT BETTER THAN MOBILE WEBSITES

Apps produce better results than mobile websites at every stage in the funnel.

Source: http://www.criteo.com/resources/mobile-commerce-report/

THE MISSING LINK IN NATIVE APPS

If you run a targeted email or ad campaign, your mobile customers will end up in one of three places:

Your mobile website.A page on the App or Play Store.The opening screen of your app.

This is a problem.

WHY THE MOBILE EXPERIENCE IS BROKENA critical missing piece is leading to lost sales, whether you have a mobile app or not

A typical mobile web experience starts with a “page loading” spinner, perhaps followed by a full-screen interstitial ad, which finally reveals the promised content after it is dismissed. A few slow-loading pages and frustratingly un-zoomable preview images later, you may finally be ready to make a purchase. But who enjoys entering a shipping address, billing address, and credit card number on a phone screen? No one.

Mobile websites, the app stores, and the opening screen of your app all have something in common: none is an optimized experience and sending new users there will cost you sales.

Perhaps you already implemented a way to open your app using links. Do your links work reliably in every email client? Are you able to open the app and show users what they expect to see next? If not, this is like playing Monopoly and giving your customers the “Do not pass go. Do not collect $200” card. You’re missing out on free money.

And what about new users who don’t have your app yet?

NATIVE APPS ARE CUT OFF FROM THE WORLD

FIXING THE DISCONNECT

BRANCH: CONTEXTUAL MOBILE DEEP LINKING

Deep links are everywhere. Ads in your Facebook feed. Promo emails for shoe sales. URLs that friends share from Amazon.

Every search you do on Google returns a long list of deep links.

Deep links all have something in common: when you click, the next thing you see is what you clicked on.

Make links to content in your app work just like links to content on the web

Branch deep linking is the missing piece between the content inside your mobile app and the outside world.

DEEP LINKING IS THE MISSING PUZZLE PIECE

Contextual mobile deep links can be used everywhere to connect your customers to exactly the content they expect, using whichever experience is best for their device:

Native apps for mobile devicesWebsites for desktop visitors

Mobile deep linking gives you back all the tools and techniques you’ve always used

AND THE BEST PART:When customers don’t yet have your app, you can redirect them to download it, and then seamlessly pick up right where they left off. Context is never lost!

Brands that implement contextual mobile deep linking see huge benefits

PREPARING FOR THE 2016 HOLIDAYS

1. IMPROVE THE APP EXPERIENCE WITH DEEP LINKING

Generate contextual deep links that work across every platform and route users seamlessly to the content they want.

❏ Integrate the Branch SDK

❏ Implement Universal/App Links

❏ Set up Deep Link Routing

2. CONVERT WEB VISITORS TO APP USERS

Increase conversions from mobile web to app by up to 3X with customizable, cross-platform, contextual banners.

❏ Add a few lines of Javascript

❏ Deep link from your banner

❏ Customize!

❏ Email campaigns

❏ Paid ads on social channels

❏ Paid/organic search

3. DRIVE APP ENGAGEMENT ACROSS MARKETING CHANNELS

Make sure all your marketing links are deep links that take users to the in-app content that they want.

SUMMARY

Ecommerce is evolving.Online shoppers are moving to mobile devices, away from desktops. Retailers have been investing heavily in mobile experiences.

Apps are better than websites.Native mobile apps are proving more effective than mobile websites at every stage of the sales funnel.

Will your app be ready for the 2016 holiday shopping season? Start preparing now!

Mobile ecommerce apps are flawed….Even a great mobile app is only as good as your ability to get customers to use it. Mobile apps still do not play nicely with the rest of the digital world, so conversion is a major roadblock.

…but mobile deep links are the solution.Deep links are everywhere, and now they finally work with your app. You can deliver the experience users expect, optimized for the device they are using.

GET STARTED TODAY!

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9,000+ APPS, 1.3 BILLION LINKS