M&S made its first foray into m-commerce back in 2010 when it launched its first mobile optimised site.
The site has been overhauled since then and M&S has now launched a mobile app to add to its mobile offering.
This focus on mobile shows that the company is aware of how e-commerce is changing and aims to keep ahead of the competition by appealing to a new generation of shoppers.
But is the app any good? To find out, I tried it out on an Android smartphone...
Homepage
When you open the app it shows one icon that links the user to M&S's store, which is quite useful but you would expect to see more options.
The homepage for the mobile store displays two prominent graphics that link to school uniforms and the online deal of the day.
This is a useful tool for users as it gives easy access to seasonal items and new offers without the need to search for them.
Beneath this there are different product categories presented as icons – this makes it much easier to click on each one and is more attractive than a long list of text links.
The homepage also features a search tool, store finder, social icons and links to the full website.
It is best practice to display a search tool on the homepage but M&S could have made a better job of it. When you click on the magnifying glass a small search bar appears which is quite fiddly.
Furthermore, while it is a good idea to offer users a store locator tool the GPS function didn't work when I tried to use it.
Navigation and product pages
Finding an item is a simple process. It uses lists of items to allow you to refine your search, then the product lists are well presented using large icons.
The product images include the cost, number of colours, product ratings and details of how many people have reviewed the product.
The product pages themselves are well presented with large, swipeable images and prominent links to consumer reviews.
We've previously blogged about the importance of reviews for e-commerce sites, with stats showing that 50 or more reviews per product can mean a 4.6% increase in conversion rates.
There is also an icon making it clear to customers that they need to select the size and colour of their item before adding it to their basket, which will help to prevent people from wasting their time by being forced to add items more than once.
The add to basket CTA is also quite prominent although, as we have previously pointed out in a blog about mobile CTA best practice, M&S could have used a different colour to make it stand out more.
Checkout
Once you have added a product to your basket a dropdown menu gives you the option of continuing shopping or going to the checkout.
This is a handy tool as it makes it obvious what your options are without forcing you down either route.
It may also help to boost conversions for M&S as customers are immediately nudged towards the checkout which will help to capture impulse buys.
However once you arrive at the checkout M&S makes the elementary error of forcing users to register an account.
We previously reviewed M&S's checkout process and found it to be slow and frustrating as you have to re-enter the same information twice.
This is a major issue as mobile users do not want to spend ages entering their personal details and a long checkout process will lead to abandoned purchases.
Conclusion
M&S's app is easy to use and makes navigating for products easy, though as pointed out the checkout process leaves a lot to be desired.
But what is the point of it? All it does is link you to the m-commerce site, which begs the questions of why they bothered?
Aps should offer users something different, like a barcode scanner or additional product information, or act as a loyalty card.
This app just offers the user a quick link to M&S's mobile site, which might be useful for a few diehard customers but isn't going to help extend its brand reach among casual shoppers.
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