There’s no doubt that mobile commerce is, and will continue to shape both the present and future of Shopify and ecommerce. By 2025, it’s projected that retail mobile commerce sales will reach $710 billion, far surpassing the $510 billion that was predicted for 2023.

Considering our mobile devices are always by our side, and sometimes without us even realising, influence our daily habits, these numbers aren’t hard to believe. But like all things, as the number of mobile sales grows, the more mobile commerce trends will evolve.

So as a Shopify or ecommerce store owner, it’s crucial that you stay up to date with all of the latest mobile commerce trends.

In this article, we’ll discuss 8 of the biggest Shopify mobile commerce trends to expect in 2024, including:

Shopify mobile app builders
Voice-assisted shopping
Mobile-optimised chatbots
One-click ordering
Social commerce
Heightened security measures
Taking an omnichannel approach
Mobile AR & VR

Let’s dive in…

1. Shopify mobile app builders

To stay ahead of the competition in 2024, many businesses have realised that they need to be mobile-first, not just mobile-optimised. And that’s where a Shopify mobile app builder comes into play.

The majority of traffic to Shopify stores comes from mobile - and on average, mobile apps have a 157% higher conversion rate than mobile websites.

One reason why mobile apps have high conversion rates is because of their speedy loading times. They’re designed to be both fast and responsive, which means they load much quicker than mobile websites, providing a seamless user experience, smoother transitions, and instant response to user interactions.

Mobile apps are specifically built to provide your customers with the best experience on mobile, and with the majority of traffic to Shopify stores coming from mobile, they’re going to be your best channel for making more sales throughout 2024.

Building a mobile app for your Shopify store is actually easier than you think.

All you need to do is:

Install the StoreLab Shopify mobile app builder from the Shopify app store
Design your Shopify mobile app in minutes using the intuitive app builder
Launch your Shopify mobile app on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store with help from our expert customer service team

For more guidance, take a look at our article, How to Build a Shopify Mobile App for your Store [2024+FAQ].

The StoreLab Shopify mobile app builder allows you to create a professional, custom, and fully optimised no-code mobile app for your store from just $79 per month.

Interested in further optimising your website for mobile in 2024? Book a free discovery call with a member of our team or learn more about our plans.

2. Voice-assisted shopping

Utilising voice-enabled search is a huge trend that’s reshaping online and mobile shopping in 2024.

With the increase of AI-driven assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Home, voice search is gradually becoming the preferred method of online search. In fact, around 40% of internet users in the US use voice assistants at least once a month.

Consumers value ease of use, and due to their convenience and efficiency, voice assistants have quickly gained traction. Currently, 4.2 billion voice assistants are used across the world, expected to rise to 8.4 billion next year.

And they aren’t just being used for the weather forecast.

People are continually turning to voice commands as a hands-free and intuitive means of interacting with their devices, even for shopping - 51% of people use voice commands to research products, and 22% use voice search to make a purchase.

With 60% of online retail sales made on mobile devices, it’s becoming even more important to optimise your mobile website for voice search.

By simply vocalising search queries instead of typing them on their phone, your customers can effortlessly search for products, enquire about product details or prices, and even place an order.

This hands-free approach not only improves your mobile website’s customer experience, but also significantly enhances accessibility, which appeals to a much wider audience, including those with disabilities or who prefer voice activation over typing.

Here’s how to improve voice search on your mobile optimised Shopify store:

Infuse conversational and natural language across your site, such as descriptive keywords. This includes product descriptions and FAQs to align with how mobile users will phrase their search queries.
Prioritise page speed optimisation to prevent site abandonment and to ensure a seamless experience when using your voice-enabled search feature on mobile. Quicker page loading times will not only make content more accessible, but also ensure more accurate results when customers use voice search.
Ensure your Shopify store is mobile responsive as the majority of voice searches are performed on smartphones.
Focus on local SEO efforts by incorporating long-tail and location-based keywords across your Shopify store.

3. Mobile-optimised chatbots

Last year, 88% of ecommerce customers reported that they had at least one conversation with a chatbot.

You may already be using a chatbot for your Shopify store, so you likely already know that they’re one of the best ways to provide customer service. You’ve also likely seen how they enhance customer engagement, offer 24/7 assistance, and streamline interactions, which leads to an efficient and user-friendly customer support experience.

However, when your chatbot was added, it was likely designed mainly for the desktop version of your site. If your chatbot has too many buttons, form fields, or options, it can very quickly become overwhelming for a customer to find answers to their questions.

With 79% of Shopify sales coming from mobile devices, it’s important to optimise your chatbot as much as possible for smartphones.

Unlike traditional chatbots, mobile-optimised chatbots are designed specifically for smaller screens, touch interfaces, and the on-the-go nature of mobile users.

Here are 3 considerations when optimising your Shopify store’s chatbot for mobile:

Responsive design. Ensure your chatbot’s interface is responsive and designed to fit the smaller screens of mobile devices, which provides a great user experience without compromising its functionality.
Touch-friendly interaction. Tailor your chatbot’s interactions to be touch friendly, considering the behaviours of mobile users, such as swiping, tapping, and scrolling, to enhance accessibility and engagement.
Quick responses and concise information. Optimise your chatbot responses to be concise and quickly digestible, considering the limited attention span of mobile users. It’s also important to provide information in a clear and efficient manner to keep interactions smooth and focused.

Gymshark’s chatbot stands out as one of the best examples of mobile optimisation, perfectly blending functionality with a user-friendly design. It not only navigates users through product queries and sizing information, but also integrates with popular messaging apps, such as Whatsapp, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger, meeting customers where they are most comfortable.

4. One-click ordering

Customers know that to purchase something online, they’ll have to input certain details at checkout such as their identity, address, and payment information, so that their order can be successfully fulfilled. However, having to repeatedly enter the same set of information for every purchase can get frustrating.

A study by The Baymard Institute found that having a too long or too complicated checkout process is the reason why over a quarter of shoppers abandon their cart.

For mobile websites, having a simplified checkout is super important due to the limited screen space on smartphones, as having numerous form fields can easily overwhelm users. Simplifying the checkout process specifically for mobile ensures a user-friendly experience, which minimises any complications and promotes smoother transactions.

This is where one-click ordering comes into action.

One-click ordering is a hassle-free payment option that allows customers to complete the whole buying process with just a single click, reducing checkout time significantly. Shoppers should be able to hit the buy button without needing to do much more, some examples of this include Apple Pay, Android Pay, PayPal, and Amazon Pay.

Amazon’s one-click ordering feature revolutionised online shopping by streamlining the checkout process, eliminating the tedious multi-step ordeal, and replacing it with a single, frictionless click. Securely storing their customers’ payment and shipping information has meant that Amazon reduced the amount of time and effort required to make a purchase.

The success of Amazon’s one-click checkout not only increased customer satisfaction and loyalty, but also influenced the industry, promoting other ecommerce platforms to adopt a similar, streamlined checkout process.

By implementing a one-click checkout on your Shopify store, not only will your sales and conversion rates rise, but your customers will also benefit, as one of the biggest pain points of online shopping (a long and complicated checkout process) will have been eliminated.

5. Social commerce

It’s very likely that as an ecommerce business owner, you already use social media to gain exposure, promote your brand, and showcase your Shopify store’s products and offerings.

However, social commerce is evolving.

With the reliance on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok for product recommendations and inspiration, there is so much potential that comes from integrating shopping functionalities directly into your brand’s pages and feeds.

By utilising social commerce, your customers will have a more direct way to buy products that they see on social media. They can simply click on and purchase a product shown in one of your posts, removing the need for them to open a new browser, visit your website, and manually search for the product themselves.

Some of the post popular and effective methods in social commerce are:

Shoppable posts. Most commonly used on Instagram, shoppable social media posts integrate shopping directly into a users’ feed, not only enabling new product discovery, but also encourages impulse-driven purchases within the platform. Shoppable posts can come in a variety of content formats, including posts, stories, reels, and videos.
Advertising. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram offer advertising options that include direct purchase buttons, turning advertisements into interactive and instantly actionable shopping experiences for customers.
Influencer marketing. As of 2023, the global influencer marketing market value stood at $21.1 billion, which has more than tripled since 2019. By tapping into the credibility and reach of these influencers, you can promote your products and services to a wider, more targeted audience.

To effectively utilise social commerce, you first need to create a good organic social media following. If you’d like to learn more about how to improve your social following, as well as how you can improve your overall strategy, check out this article.

6. Heightened security measures

With the rise of mobile usage in recent years, there has naturally been an increase in online transactions, consumer expectations, and heightened awareness regarding data protection. So it’s become very important for online businesses to increase their cybersecurity and privacy.

Consumers are becoming way more vigilant about safeguarding their personal information. As a Shopify store owner in 2024, you need to make significant improvements in your security measures to build trust. Whilst no business, website, or shopper is 100% immune from fraud, there are definitely ways to prevent it.

One of the most crucial steps to improving your security measures is by getting a mobile app for your Shopify store. Mobile apps have way more security capabilities than ecommerce websites. Usually, ecommerce shoppers have to rely on payment methods that are more susceptible to fraud or theft, such as credit/debit cards.

On the other hand, mobile app users have access to other security measures, including:

Mobile wallet payments
Two-factor authentication
Multi-factor authentication
Biometric authentication (fingerprints, retina scans, or face ID)

Mobile apps are also less susceptible to scams such as phishing websites, virus infections, and other cyber attacks that can occur on mobile web browsers.

Apps for your Shopify store are also superior at protecting data as they can use device-specific security features, implement encryption measures, and have to adhere to a strict app store approval process.

70% of customers will feel more confident in making purchases, especially larger ones, if a brand has a strong commitment to security by protecting their data. And they are more likely to return in the future because they know they can trust you.

Shopify’s guide looks into how to combat the 7 different types of ecommerce fraud to create a safer shopping experience for your customers.

7. Taking an omnichannel approach

Recently, Shopify mobile commerce has seen a shift towards omnichannel strategies. An omnichannel approach involves integrating various customer touchpoints, both online and offline, to create a unified shopping experience.

This strategy ensures consistency across channels, allowing your customers to transition effortlessly between all platforms, such as your mobile app, both mobile and desktop website, social media pages, and even your physical store.

Around 73% of retail consumers use multiple channels to shop, and 75% expect their experience to be consistent across each channel.

One way to prioritise an omnichannel approach in 2024 is to ensure that your brand is both available and accessible on mobile devices. A few ways to do this include:

Create unified user profiles. Make sure that once your customers set up an account with you, that they are accessible across multiple devices and browsers. They should be able to access their accounts, preferences, and purchase history consistently, regardless of where the purchase was made.
Maintain a consistent design. Even though your desktop, mobile, and mobile app designs will differ slightly due to their individual accessibility needs, it’s still important that the design, branding, and layout stays consistent. This promotes brand recognition and means that customers can easily navigate regardless of the platform.
Prioritise cross-platform integration. This enables smooth transitions between devices for users. For instance, if a customer adds an item to their cart on the mobile website, ensure the same information is reflected when they switch to your Shopify mobile app.

Taking an omnichannel approach should be a key part of your whole marketing strategy in 2024 as well as your mobile commerce strategy. To discover 6 more effective marketing tips for your Shopify store, read our guide.

8. Mobile AR & VR

Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) have revolutionised mobile commerce by providing customers with immersive shopping experiences, where they can visualise products in their own environment before making a purchase. But the difference between the two is that AR adds digital elements to the real world, whilst VR creates an entirely computer-generated environment.

AR & VR experiences drive 200% more engagement, their main goal being to reduce uncertainties when shopping online and increase customer satisfaction.

Shopify found that products advertised with the option for AR/VR content saw a 94% higher conversion rate than products without it.

AR, in particular, has gained popularity on mobile websites and apps by offering features such as virtual try-ons for clothing, makeup, or accessories, enabling customers to see how products might look, fit, or match their skin tone before buying.

MAC Cosmetics offer a virtual AR try-on tool on their website that enables customers to experiment with various products and shades on their mobile device. Users can try on eyeshadows, lipsticks, and even false eyelashes to see which best suits them, which also eliminates the hygiene concerns of testing makeup in-store.

VR, on the other hand, creates immersive shopping environments where customers can explore virtual stores, interact with products, and even stimulate real-world interactions.

IKEA recently launched IKEA Place, an AR/VR mobile application that lets you place 3D products in your home. So if you’re looking to purchase a sofa, but are unsure of what it will look or feel like in a specific room, you’ll have a true-to-size, real-life, and immersive experience to show you.

The Shopify app store offers many tools and plugins that enable seamless integration of AR and VR features into your mobile website, helping to enhance your mobile commerce strategy and customer experience.

8 Shopify Mobile Commerce Trends to Expect in 2024

Final thoughts

More brands than ever before are starting their journey into the world of mobile commerce and ecommerce, which means more competition, but also, more innovation.

In this article, we’ve talked about 8 of the biggest Shopify mobile commerce trends to expect in 2024, and how you can utilise them for your business. But if you’re still hungry for more, you can find 10 more Shopify and ecommerce trends for 2024 here.

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Shopify Mobile Commerce FAQs

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What is mobile commerce?

Mobile commerce, also known as mcommerce, is the buying and selling of products and services through a mobile device. It involves a Shopify store prioritising online transactions, mobile-optimised websites, and dedicated mobile apps, providing customers with the convenience of shopping anytime and anywhere.

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What is the difference between mcommerce and ecommerce?

The difference between mcommerce and ecommerce is actually very simple. Ecommerce refers to all online transactions made over the internet, including purchases made on desktop and computers. Whereas mcommerce, specifically refers to transactions conducted through mobile devices like smartphones.

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Why is it important to prioritise mcommerce in 2024?

79% of Shopify sales come from mobile devices. So if you want to have the best chance of increasing your Shopify store’s sales, conversion, and customer retention rates in 2024, it’s crucial to prioritise mcommerce.

Our article Shopify Customer Retention: 12 Proven Strategies to Boost Sales and Loyalty goes into more detail about how improving your mobile experience will positively impact your business in 2024.

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How do I optimise my Shopify store for mobile?

Optimising your Shopify store for mobile includes ensuring an accessible and user-friendly experience by adapting the design, functionality, and performance of your site to fit the needs of mobile devices and their users.

We’ve created an expert, detailed, but easy-to-digest whitepaper that teaches all you need to know about optimising your Shopify store for mobile. You can download it for free by clicking here.

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Why should I create a mobile app for my Shopify store?

If you’re looking to increase sales, improve your customer experience, and multiply your average order value, then you need a mobile app for your Shopify store.

After working with StoreLab to build a custom mobile app and run targeted social ads, Mark Littlewood, Founder of It’s a Dog’s Life, saw a 400% increase in sales...