How to win the mobile wars? It's simpler than you think

Dubai - Remember: User success also translates into mobile success

If you work on mobile in the Middle East right now, you couldn't ask for better conditions than what we have. According to ComScore, smartphone penetration is 93 per cent in the 18-34 demographic, and 79 per cent across all demographics.
Yet, desktop still accounts for most e-commerce transactions due to usability issues on mobile. Clearly, everyone is ready for sticky mobile solutions that work and there is an immense opportunity for innovation and improvement in the mobile space.
 
What should digital brands do?
Mobile apps must be useful, usable and best-in-class to succeed. The Adobe Mobile Survey conducted in 2016 revealed that the most popular reason for deleting an app across all age groups was "not useful".
According to Localytics, 24 per cent of users abandon an app after just one use, and 63 per cent users have used an app less than 10 times. Additionally, only 52 per cent users have ever used a mobile payment method for online purchase.
A multi-platform strategy is critical for alignment with customer expectations, yet brands still treat desktop as their primary channel of reach and engagement. Therefore, for digital brands to become more customer-centric, it is essential to invest more resources and effort into mobile, specifically smartphones.
 
How do we deal with diversity?
By taking an active mobile-first attitude and collaborating with users to personalise their experience and bringing them closer to things they want.
Although our audience is unevenly distributed between categories, demographics, geographies and levels of being tech-savvy, we address users' needs regardless of these differences by enabling them to find anything they desire and purchase with ease.
Through the continuous personalisation of user experience and consistency of engagement, we identify the jobs users need done and ensure they are performed to the best of our ability.
Lastly, as the reach of digital networks expands, so does the amount of risk users face when using mobile. Safety and privacy is of paramount importance. One means to maintain security is by using a one-time password to prevent phishing of personal information and criminal masquerading among other features.
The future is mobile. Mobile apps are going to be the main channel to browse, buy and sell because they can leverage the power of communities and engage users better than any other channel out there. All in all, user success is mobile success.
The writer is general manager of new business and director of product at dubizzle. Views expressed are his own and do not reflect the newspaper's policy.