Insight: Google Shopping sees growth in higher value purchases via mobile
An increasing number of shoppers on Google Shopping are completing high value purchases on mobile devices according to new research.
Sidecar’s 2018 Google Shopping Benchmarks Report, which studied more than 300 US retailers to benchmark their annual performance in Google Shopping, shows that mobile is playing an increasingly pivotal role in driving online purchases.
Steve Costanza, senior analyst for enterprise customer strategy at Sidecar, said: “One of the most significant Google Shopping trends we saw in 2017 was consumers’ willingness to complete higher value purchases on mobile, with mobile average order values growing 23% over 2016. While conversion rates on mobile still lag behind desktop, consumers are getting more comfortable purchasing a wider array of products on mobile.”
Mobile accounted for 36% of total Google Shopping revenue in 2017 to mark an increase of 19% year-on-year. Sidecar said this was mainly down to retailers improving their mobile experiences for customers so they became more comfortable with shopping through the channel.
Meanwhile, the desktop-to-mobile conversion path climbed by 259% year-on-year.
“Shopper behaviour is an always evolving variable,” said Andre Golsorkhi, founder and chief executive of Sidecar. “Capitalising on the shifts—such as mobile’s growing role in purchasing—requires constant tracking, agility, and a holistic mindset. Retailers will sharpen their competitive edge by better understanding the interaction between search activity and shopping trends not only within ecommerce channels like Google Shopping, but across them as well.”
The research also analysed retailers’ Google AdWords data from 2017 and compared it to data from 2016 and 2015. It found that ad spend grew by 34% in Google Shopping compared to an uplift of 25% in 2016.
