There's an app for pretty much everything these days, as consumers are increasingly using smartphones and tablets to perform a variety of daily tasks. Mobile applications have even made their way into the retail industry, as many merchants – especially big-name brands – have developed apps for their shoppers. However, recent research has found that many customers prefer to use ecommerce websites instead of applications for researching and purchasing products. For companies, this means that more focus needs to be put on developing effective ecommerce sites to boost online sales. While apps may still be beneficial for retailers, websites are proving to be where consumers are going, so creating strategies for managing both could be the key to success.

Attractive design and ease-of-use improve ecommerce
MediaPost reports that according to a recent study by Siteworx, 65.7 percent of consumers prefer to access merchants' websites on their devices for shopping rather than mobile apps. One of the reasons for apps lagging behind ecommerce sites was that shoppers need incentives to download them, such as special offers, discounts and other deals. Many companies are not providing these aspects, leaving their apps unsupported.

The news source notes that even if retailers are discouraged that their mobile apps are not generating the interest they had hoped for, they should instead focus their attention on improving their websites to draw in mobile traffic. Uploading information, pictures and demonstration videos pertaining to merchandise, which of course are optimized for mobile devices, can help shoppers with their purchasing decisions, further boosting online sales. Making transactions faster and more secure are other ways that businesses can ensure their ecommerce strategies see success, as these are elements that consumers are looking for when buying items through their smartphones and tablets.

Ecommerce set to get bigger
Although websites are the main factor of mobile commerce for retailers, overall online sales for companies are expected to climb significantly this year. Internet Retailer cites a study by Forrester Research, which estimates that purchases made through the internet, whether on mobile devices or computers, will reach $370 billion by 2017. The research firm also forecasts that for 2013, ecommerce sales will jump 13.4 percent from last year, coming to a total of $262 billion.

Making efforts now to improve ecommerce sites will only help retailers accommodate consumers who prefer to go online for shopping purposes.