Desktop conversions are still 93% more valuable than the growing mobile conversions, according to a study

Mobile ad clicks and conversions are less valuable than those on the desktop, despite the fact that mobile devices are now the best and most popular way by far that consumers browse and search the internet. This information is from an analysis across 100 accounts and 10 million clicks by AccuraCast, a digital marketing agency. 

Mobile conversions are growing but are also not as valuable. However, while conversions on mobile increased a large 10 points from 2018 to 2019 (39% to 49%), a large part of these conversions are still coming directly from the desktop. It was said that overall, the conversion rate from desktop visitors is 60% more than that of mobile visitors, and on average, converting from a desktop rather than a mobile device is worth 93% more. Typically, a conversion value was calculated as the average order value, and for B2B it was calculated as the lead value and propensity to buy. 

Average order value historically for desktop transactions has been higher than on mobile devices. Multiple other studies and reports have proven this. Generally, consumers tend to buy on the desktop but browse on mobile devices – but this is changing. 

Analyzing data from an entire year. Mobile and desktop clicks were examined between August if 2018 up until August of 2019. Mobile clicks, impressions, and conversions (whether they were capturing leads or e-commerce_ increased over the period of 12 months. 

Source: AccuraCast (2019)

Accuracast does not seem to take into account conversions that happen offline influenced by mobile ads. For the B2C data, if sales from offline were factored in, it might change the calculation and conclusion somewhat. The agency is only examining e-commerce, however. 

UX Mobile Problems. The blame is placed by AccuraCast for higher impressions for mobile ads but fewer conversions on a range of potential problems with the user experience on mobile. Among those are:

• Sites/apps that are low quality that drive traffic but not conversions. 
• Landing pages that perform poorly that are not transaction friendly. 
• Formats of ads that generate clicks that are accidental. 

The firm also implies that latent conversions of different types of devices (mobile ad exposure with a later desktop conversion) may hinder tracking – and possibly even distort the data to some degree. This is an issue not discussed much in the report, except for the fact that AccuraCast recommends remarketing non-converting mobile users on the desktop, which is where they are most likely to make a purchase. 

Why this is important. Over the years, industry experts and consultants have advised companies like retailers and others to speed up and make the mobile user experience more simple. Remembering that advice has clearly sown good results in the form of revenue growth and conversion on mobile devices. 

What this report really indicates is that there is still a large distance to go when it comes to converting on mobile. Although, sellers and retailers should not see the mobile and desktop as mutually exclusive channels. Multiple devices are normally used by a majority of shoppers to make buying decisions based on the level of purchase consideration. An exception could possibly be users who are younger who are less engaged with desktops or PCs and tend to favor physical locations and mobile devices over traditional e-commerce. 
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