Tealeaf, a provider of online customer experience management (CEM) software, announced the results of a commissioned survey of mobile transactions, conducted online by Harris Interactive. The survey found that more than four in five (84 percent) consumers—that is, online adults in the U.S. who have conducted a mobile transaction via smartphone or other mobile device in the past year—have experienced problems. Despite the hyper growth of the mobile Internet, one fundamental truth remains: regardless of whether the platform is a mobile device, tablet or computer, online customer experience is still fraught with issues. How successful companies are with their mobile channels will depend largely on their customers' ability to complete transactions and their willingness to return.

Mobile devices are set to become the medium for digital commerce. According to ABI Research, U.S. mobile commerce sales will reach $4.9 billion this year, and will account for $163 billion in sales worldwide by 2015. Mobile consumers are trying to conduct transactions—from shopping to travel to banking and insurance—and time after time they are frustrated by poor website experiences, leading to site abandonment and brand damage. Beyond basic connectivity, the mobile experience is fraught with issues that prevent users from accomplishing their goals struggle-free.

Forrester Research, Inc.'s July 2010 independent report, Making The Case For The Mobile Internet, asserts, "The era of the mobile Internet isn't around the bend but already here. Businesses looking to develop destinations for their smart phone users need to approach the space with high utility, good design, and frequency of use in mind. Retailers, financial services, and hoteliers are successfully driving revenue and increasing consumer engagement through well-designed and highly functional mobile web sites."

According to the new mobile consumer behavior survey commissioned by Tealeaf, of those who struggled while conducting a transaction via their mobile devices:

• 34 percent received an error message
• 29 percent said the app/website was difficult to navigate
• 25 percent were unable to complete a transaction due to an endless loop
• 23 percent had trouble logging in
• 16 percent said they encountered insufficient, incorrect, or confusing information

Previous online consumer behavior surveys conducted by Harris Interactive show similar customer struggles. Between 2005 and 2009, Harris Interactive conducted five online consumer transaction surveys on behalf of Tealeaf. On average, 86 percent of online consumers surveyed during that period experienced similar problems when conducting online transactions from traditional desktop or laptop computers. The new mobile survey highlights that, while the platform for conducting transactions is shifting, consumer struggles continue.

Expectations for the mobile shopping experience are very high

Almost half (47 percent) of consumers who have conducted a mobile transaction in the past year expect the experience on their phones to be better than the experience in-store. 80 percent expect the experience to be better than or equal to in-store and 85 percent expect the experience to be better than or equal to online using a laptop or desktop computer.

"Doing mobile, and doing it well, is no longer a ‘nice-to-have' offering," said Mike Brown, vice president of optimization at VEGAS.com. "It's now absolutely critical to focus on optimizing the mobile user experience. To do that, one needs to really grok the realities of your mobile customer experience, as well as have the ability to test and refine it on an ongoing basis."

Mobile struggles: Business beware

If they experienced problems attempting to conduct mobile transactions, many consumers would abandon their transactions and take their business elsewhere:

• 43 percent would abandon the mobile transaction and try later on a computer
• 16 percent would become more likely to buy from a competitor
• 14 percent would email or log a complaint with customer service
• 12 percent would abandon the transaction at the app/site and try a competitor's app/site

Most importantly, customer struggles on a mobile device would drive consumers away from doing business with a company entirely. Sixty-three percent of all online adults said they would be less likely to buy from the same company via other purchase channels if they experienced a problem conducting a transaction on their mobile phones.

"Everyone talks about the momentum in the mobile channel and customers continue to show an increasing appetite for moving transactions to these devices," said Rebecca Ward, CEO of Tealeaf. "However, mobile consumers find the convenience of transacting anywhere is often offset by unsatisfying and unproductive experiences. Just because we can pay our bills from our smart phones while riding the subway doesn't mean our expectations are reduced. Mobile consumers are no more willing to tolerate poor experiences than customers accessing websites from their desktops."

Customer struggles lead to frustration, disappointment and anger

Just how frustrating are customer struggles on a mobile device? The survey found that more adults would be extremely or very frustrated by experiencing a transaction problem on a mobile device (58 percent) than by going to the DMV (50 percent) or being stuck in traffic (56 percent). The survey also found that mobile consumers often resort to unpleasant ways of venting their frustration—among those who experience problems conducting mobile transactions:

• 23 percent have cursed at their phones
• 11 percent have screamed at their mobile devices
• 4 percent have thrown their mobile devices

(Photo by Yutaka Tsutano).