January 27, 2014

Commonly referred to as T-Commerce, Tablet commerce is without doubt the next big thing in the e-commerce landscape, catering to the ever-growing number of tablet users worldwide. With tablet shoppers accounting for 21% of all mobile traffic to retail websites, and this number expected to grow significantly over the coming year, it is understandable why e-commerce experts are viewing tablet commerce as a key aspect of their online marketing strategies. It is interesting to note that research shows that most of the aforementioned tablet users also own smart phones and PCs, but still preferred to shop using their tablets.

The high customer preference towards tablets can be attributed to their user-friendly interface, portability and accessibility, which explains why users are likely to reach out to their tablets to respond to a television advertizement. It is thus important for retailers to create tablet-friendly websites, and ensure a consistent experience for their users across multiple devices and screen sizes. Tablet-optimized websites need to leverage touch-screen technology, making for a smoother web-browsing experience for users.

Retailers who aim at trumping their competitors when it comes to tablet commerce, need to focus on providing richer content for tablet users, through apps that are engaging, unique, and innovative. The aim is to be able to make the most of all that tablets have to offer, right from audio recognition and page flipping to horizontal scrolling and gyroscope. The good news is that you do not necessarily have to modify the entire content on your website to cater to tablet users, but can just focus on ensuring an inspiring and interactive shopping experience on your website.

As a retailer targeting tablet users, you need to make the most of the unique opportunities that tablets offer for consumer interaction. These include videos, surveys, quizzes, and other interactive media that make it possible for users to connect with the products and services being offered. This goes a long way in inspiring users to buy, and also making them want to share their experiences with other users. The fact that tablets are constantly proliferating in size and features makes this an even more lucrative marketing venture for retailers with a futuristic perspective.

Tablet commerce is being viewed as a more effective marketing technique than social media and mobile commerce for retailers. The engaging commerce experience that tablets offers by far bypasses other platforms, making it the go-to option for successful retailers looking for new and compelling ways to engage potential customers.