Nearly half of retailers don't offer a mobile app

Nearly half (44 percent) of top international retailers still do not offer an iPhone app, according to new research from Episerver.

The study revealed that UK retailers offer the best mobile shopping experiences, with John Lewis topping the list, followed by the US’ Home Depot and Swedish-owned IKEA. Finnish retailers are the least likely to include mobile within their marketing or ecommerce strategies.

The research, which benchmarked 100 leading retailers around the world, also found that 46 percent do not provide an iPad-compatible application and upport for Android tablets is even less common, with 62 percent of retailers relying purely on mobile-compatible websites rather than Android-specific tablet apps.

Commenting on this finding, David Bowen, Director of Product Management at Episerver, said: “It’s surprising to see just how many of the world’s top retailers are failing to make the jump to a mobile-first approach. While mobile and responsive web design should be a retailer’s first priority given that web is more often a consumer’s first port of call, mobile apps are playing an increasingly dominant role in the customer journey. Mobile apps must factor in any online retailer’s strategy, enabling them to keep their business at the forefront of the customer’s mind and ensure products are never more than a click, tap or swipe away.”

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