Reacting to the new iPad: What the e-commerce industry needs to know

By Diane Buzzeo, Ability Commerce

It came as no surprise that consumers pounced on the new iPad—between the preorders and the campers outside of Apple stores everywhere, 3 million third generation tablets were sold over its debut weekend. But with its proven (and growing) popularity and its battery of upgraded features, the new iPad has every reason to be on the top of all e-commerce enterprises’ radars as well.

Apple’s latest device has made the mountain of available mobile devices even grander—and one that looms over e-commerce businesses who have yet to engage a mobile strategy. The numbers give it away: according to a February 2012 comScore study, almost 42 percent of US mobile subscribers were smartphone users; over half of those users searched for retail items with their devices in 2011. Even more staggering, however, is the tablet phenomenon. By 2011, it had taken tablets less than two years to reach 40 million U.S. mobile users. It took smartphones seven years to touch that same audience.

Over 2012 alone, tablet growth will be unstoppable—much in part to the trickle-down effect triggered by the new iPad. Between the discounted prices of older models, and the reality that plenty of first generation iPad and iPad 2 users are bound to pass their older electronics onto friends and family in order to make room for new ones, expect tablet adoption to boom. With the mobile community expanding at high speed, adaption is the e-commerce industry’s best defense.

The new iPad’s highlighted features—4G connectivity and retina displays—have the potential to open doors to plenty of new shoppers choosing digital shopping carts over physical ones. According to Ability Commerce research on mobile usage during the 2011 holiday season, sales from iPads were 33 percent higher than those generated by iPhone, Android smartphones and tablets combined. 2012 should bring a continuation of this trend, and mobile shoppers’ expectations for ease and accessibility will play a large role in how and where they exercise their virtual buying power.

The widespread availability of the third generation iPad and its various improvements, however, are not the only catalysts for significant change in the e-commerce world. A collection of new tablet-exclusive accessories has the power to turn the lightweight devices into fully functional computers, comparable to any modern laptop. Users today have the option to tack a wireless mouse, stylus, AV adapter or portable, foldable keyboard on to their tablets. “Adding to cart” will be that much simpler, punching in credit card numbers will cease to be a chore and sharing product pages via social media will be seamless when using these extras. Higher levels of usability translates into more mobile buyers—being connected to personal devices whenever and wherever means consumers will want the satisfaction of shopping just as instantly.

Taking all of these developments into consideration, it may still be too early to plan drastic changes to your mobile strategy. With millions of consumers still without a tablet, or even a smartphone, revamping the resolution of your entire online product catalog is not a priority yet. Having a user-friendly, tablet-appropriate mobile website, however, is a must. E-retailers’ main goal should be to create a complete shopping experience through their mobile platforms, just as they would in their brick and mortar locations. This means not settling for a replication of your standard website, but tailoring the interface and the information layout to the mobile user’s needs, taking screen dimensions, button size and thumbnail “zoom” options into account. Brand-specific apps, customizable sizing charts and the option to write and read product reviews are all smart ways to cater to the tablet shopper.

Above all, preparation is key. With the 2012 holiday season approaching sooner than anyone would like to believe, now is the time to make some changes (even minor ones) to ensure your e-commerce technologies are compatible with the ones in your customers’ hands.

About Diane Buzzeo
Diane Buzzeo is the founder and CEO of Ability Commerce. In the 1970s, Diane built her own retail start-up, American Musical Supply, into an e-commerce behemoth. Today, American Musical Supply is an Internet Retailer Top 500 Site. In 1985, Buzzeo founded Marketing Concepts, a company that provides services to catalog companies. Buzzeo saw the need to create a company dedicated to creating software solutions for ecommerce retailers and founded Ability Commerce in 1999. Ability Commerce survived the Internet bubble burst and is now a leading provider of ecommerce software.