What the West Can Learn From the East About Seamless Shopping Experiences

From a mobile-first mindset to the emerging trillion-dollar industry, ��’s Sunna Coleman investigates what the West has to gain, led by latest research from VML

In today’s fast-paced world, consumers expect more than just affordable, quality products – they crave convenience, personalisation, and a seamless shopping experience across every channel. A frictionless journey that takes them from discovery to checkout smoothly and efficiently.

In the latest edition of report from VML, what’s clear is that “consumers expect and demand a lot from retailers and brands. They want it all, and will search to find it, across a multitude of channels.”

The data collected from 31,500 consumers worldwide illustrates that while physical retail is making a comeback, 64% would prefer to shop from a retailer or brand that has both a physical and online store, and the majority still prefer to spend online with 36% done on mobile – a growing trend that is gathering pace.

According to the research, mobile spending increased across all groups (with the exception of the over 65s) while desktop spending continues to drop. Yet, almost half claim they find shopping on mobile difficult and 66% claim that retailers and brands should work harder at making their mobile experiences better.

If brands and retailers want a competitive edge, it seems that a mobile-first approach could be a winning strategy.

Integration vs Fragmentation

There is a clear regional split when it comes to how brands and retailers prioritise the mobile shopping experience. The rate of online shopping via mobile is much higher across Asia than it is in the West, particularly in places such as Thailand, China and India.

Many attribute this to the fact that the East skipped the desktop era altogether, creating a mobile-first economy. So while the West remained focused on desktop, the East took the lead.

Apps like WeChat in China and Line in Thailand are extremely popular, serving as all-in-one platforms for both communication and shopping. With fully-integrated, advanced payment infrastructures, these apps allow consumers to make in-app purchases securely and seamlessly, making the shopping experience highly convenient. This level of integration has not yet picked up speed in the West, where consumers are more likely to use separate apps or websites for different activities and where digital payments are more fragmented.

This could be significantly crucial when it comes to conversion, seeing as 63% of global consumers say they want to get from inspiration to purchase as quickly as possible, and 56% say that, in future, they will not shop with retailers, brands or marketplaces that do not match their expectations of online shopping.

“Our research shows that a seamless checkout experience is crucial for eCommerce success,” shares Shalina Ganatra, VML’s head of eCommerce consultancy. “While competitive pricing remains important, a cumbersome checkout process directly impacts conversions and brand loyalty. It’s surprising how many brands still don’t optimise their checkout for mobile or offer Google or Apple Pay in their checkout, given that all the hard work of acquiring the customer and getting them through the journey to the basket has already been done. By investing in a frictionless and customer-centric checkout experience, businesses can unlock significant value, driving revenue growth and building lasting customer relationships.”

A Trillion-Dollar Industry?

One of the exciting, rising trends seen across Asia is the growth of social commerce. It is expected that global revenue from social commerce will reach $913 billion this year which is predicted to grow by 31.6% per year, reaching $6.2 trillion by 2030. It is a huge opportunity for brands to get involved in.

73% of global shoppers claim to have bought something through social media, with 62% saying that they intend to shop more through social media platforms in the future. Countries currently leading the trend include China, Thailand, Peru, Colombia and India. The slowest to adopt have been Germany, followed by France, Italy, USA and UK.

What’s more interesting is that 53% say they purchased via a live shopping event – most prevalent in China, Indonesia, Thailand and India.

“Consumers in the East tend to spend lots of time on social channels and, for many of them, these social channels are just like any other app on their smartphones. So, buying from social channels and livestreaming to them is the same as buying from the internet,” explains chief commerce and strategy officer, Nick Pan.

“Businesses in the West should keep in mind that the younger generation – from gen z to gen alpha – are very much glued to their mobile devices and are constantly online on multiple social channels, including the likes of Discord, Twitch and others. So, now is the time to experiment and build a social commerce presence even if it is just for top-of-funnel purposes. The smarter brands and retailers will be building these channels over time before the competition does – because they surely will.”

Global executive director of growth and innovation, Charlie Wade adds: “Social commerce has shortened the gap between inspiration and conversion like never before – allowing consumers to buy as soon as they discover inspiring content in the places where they spend their time. Indeed, the reach that social commerce offers, alongside the immediacy of purchase (often with just one click), are just two of the reasons why it should be right at the top of the agenda for consumer brands. It represents an unrivalled chance to connect with shoppers across multiple revenue-driving touch points, rather than simply relying on traditional direct-to-consumer or third-party retail sites.”

The report outlines that ‘deals and discounts’ are the top reason that consumers say would encourage them to spend more on social platforms, with ‘ease of purchase’ and ‘exclusive offers’ following next.

“The alchemy of social commerce is that it opens the aperture of purchase across the customer experience, providing a myriad ways to generate income,” says Chris. “It is a trend that will continue as shoppers become more comfortable with the process (especially those from outside gen z); the channel offering increases; and, crucially, brands lean in to the opportunity.”

The Secret is Simplicity

It is evident that consumers worldwide are demanding fast, frictionless shopping experiences, particularly when it comes to mobile and social commerce which opens up purchase opportunities anytime and anywhere. With brands and retailers in the East leading the way, what lessons can its Western counterparts gain?

The first has got to be a shift in mindset to mobile-first. “This requires experiences built around the customer, erring on simplicity, and focused on facilitating quick, meaningful engagements,” determines global chief experience strategy officer, Ben Geheb. “To enable this shift, businesses should reinvestigate where, how and when their customers are shopping.”

Ben shares that this includes:

Understanding the customers’ jobs to be done (functional, social, and emotional) and the situational moments they are shopping, helping architect experiences that can facilitate inspiration vs accelerating the path to purchase
Embracing design constraints of a mobile-first experience, tuning the design (both UX and UI) to be optimised to the situational moments
Ensuring content structure and creation is pulled forward in the design process and matches the expectations in those moments in the form factor of a mobile device
Ensuring the technology and design prioritises simplicity, enables fast load times and powers a persistent experience

Perhaps what’s most interesting is that “today, retailers and brands aspire for the best, most exhaustive version of their brand, but all too often consumers expect a mobile experience that is simple, fast, and relevant to their situation.”

“Winning requires businesses to accept and embrace the constraints of a mobile-first experience, designing around the customer and their moments rather than a brand’s aspirations,” says Ben.

A final word comes from Glenda Kok, chief of technology and commerce LATAM: “Consumers crave excitement – a connection to the heart of the brand – so brands and retailers cannot afford to present online shopping experiences that are simply transactional and forgettable. Brands need to weave creativity and a cohesive brand story across the entire buyer journey. Whether navigating online marketplaces, engaging on social media, browsing an e-retailer, or stepping into a physical store, the experience must resonate with that same energy, reinforcing the brand’s unique identity.”

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