Mobile Consumers Will Desert Their Cart if the Experience Is Flawed

Shopping on your mobile device isn’t always a smooth process. In fact, a new survey finds that many digital shoppers have a difficult time placing orders via mobile, resulting in an abandoned cart.

A study from Addressy polled digital buyers in the US, UK and Germany, and found that nearly four in 10 respondents had issues entering their personal details when trying to complete a purchase on their mobile phone, which caused them to desert their cart.

Entering personal details is just one of several problems digital shoppers face. Some 35% of respondents said the screen wasn't big enough to see what they were typing, and more than a quarter had issues entering their order accurately. 

What's more, one-third said they lost the connection, which resulted in a loss of interest in that product. 

But it isn't always a poor mobile experience that results in an abandoned cart. For instance, a study from SaleCycle, conducted last year, asked digital shoppers worldwide why they abandoned their shopping carts. One main reason? Roughly a third said they were just looking. Another 18% wanted to compare prices, while just 4% said they did so because they experienced a technical issue. 

Despite these issues, more people are shopping via mobile. According to eMarketer's latest forecast, mcommerce sales totaled $1.357 trillion in 2017, making up 58.9% of digital sales—a large jump in share from 40.2% in 2015.