Editor’s note: James Ainsworth is director of global community content at customer experience firm SDL, Bristol, U.K. This is an edited version of a post that originally appeared here under the title, “Striking at the heart of commuter commerce.”
It is time to get acquainted with a new addition to the “big book of business buzzwords.” Commuter commerce is a thing and it is gaining momentum as a window of opportunity for commerce, arresting consumer attention in the moment of a habitual journey. Commuter commerce is smartphone-driven and enabled by connectivity on public transport. According to a 2013 study by Geometry Global, more than half of U.K. commuters are now browsing products online and comparing pricing across competitor Web sites on smartphones as part of their daily routine of getting to the office. The survey of 2000 respondents indicated that 31 percent of those browsing while commuting will go on to make a purchase online during the journey.
On the shopping list – in order of most popular purchase – are clothes, followed by media entertainment and take-away food or groceries.
A more recent study has indicated the scope of commuter commerce, as it rakes in £9.3 billion annually and it is only set to get bigger.
“People in Britain spend more online per head than any other nation, and it seems our love affair with online shopping now also extends to the morning rush hour,” commented Rob Harbron, managing economist at CEBR. “The data shows that commuter commerce is booming in the U.K. as savvy commuters use their time efficiently to make the purchases they just don’t have time for normally.”
Here are four key factors that will speed up the success of commuter commerce:
Increasing online security: “We estimate that making the mobile checkout experience faster and safer could boost spending by £30 million each week,” published Mazuma Mobile July 7, 2015.
Increasing the availability of connectivity: Most modes of transport are tooling up for the modern commuter. As a standard consumer expectation of the transportation experience, trains, busses, boats and even the humble donkey are all being wired for the Internet.
Optimized user experience of mobile Web sites: Delivering buying experiences that adapt to customer behavior will guide customers on the best path to purchase, whatever their language and device, with intelligent search and navigation capabilities. Providing intuitive, consistent experiences with personalized search results and adaptive renderings will speed up commuter commerce.
Increasing the options for delivery or collection: There is no doubt that click- and-collect is a habit on the rise. Earlier in July, department store and online shopping chain John Lewis announced a new £2 charge for click-and-collect orders under £30 as their infrastructure costs have become a victim of their own consumer choice and flexibility success.
Having it your way is more than a philosophy espoused by a major burger chain – it is an expectation creeping into all consumer habits and one the rail network is keen to seize. A trend to address the rise in commuter commerce is placing parcel collection points at stations on the rail network: Order on your smartphone in the morning and pick up your item from your collection box on the way home. Last month, the Doddle network of parcel stores opened its 35th store in the space of 35 weeks in the U.K.
The London Paddington station store is part of a rapid Doddle store roll out program which will see 100 open by the end of 2015, and up to 250 new locations by the end of 2017.
Entrepreneur and CEO at Doddle, Tim Robinson, said; “Missing a delivery is a real pain and costs the industry up to £3/4 billion a year, a cost which is inevitably passed onto consumers.”
Commuter commerce is not without its risks of impact from external forces. With significant industrial action due to take hold of the transport pulse of London in the coming days, it won’t be long before values are attributed to the cost to retailers.
Either way, the case for providing a compelling customer experience and orchestrating a seamless customer journey – whether the customer is on an actual physical journey, in the office or at home – is clear.