Agitator readers know I’m not a big fan of Giving Tuesday. In fact, I’m considering a counter-insurgency campaign, called ‘Mobile Monday’.

I don’t care which Monday … maybe every Monday for the fast learners and early adopters. Many once a year for the digitally-challenged.

Why? To put a needed focus on the channel through which more and more fundraising dollars will flow.

What every retailer and every commercial e-marketer understands, is that more and more consumer purchases are digitally transacted, with many more digitally influenced. And nowadays, in most cases, that sales process involves a mobile device — smartphone or tablet.

There are a gazillion studies/surveys — more each week — on mobile usage. They all agree that more than half of emails today — including your fundraising pitches — are opened on mobile devices.

The infographic below — The Future of Shopping Is on the Small Screen — illustrates just one such study, and while the figures may vary a bit across surveys and studies, there’s no denying the scale or speed of movement. From this study by DirectBuy, for example:

• 82% of smartphone users shopped with mobile device in 2015;
• 78% of purchase-related internet searches via smartphone result in a local purchase (as compared to 61% of desktop-initiated searches).

Nonprofit fundraisers need to go with this massive flow. Here’s the urgency of getting properly prepared:

• Smartphone and tablet users are 5 times more likely to abandon a task, including shopping, if the site isn’t mobile optimised; and,
• 52% say a bad mobile experience makes them less likely to do business with a company.

Aha! While this started as a technology post, look where it got us, back to another of The Agitator’s favorite themes … the customer/donor experience. [Search our website: “donor experience”]

What DirectBuy opines: “By 2020 User Experience will surpass pricing and product as the main differentiator between brands.” Now, most nonprofits aren’t engaged in price competition, but tell me you aren’t concerned about differentiating your nonprofit from your category competitors.

Failing to offer an up-to-date mobile experience is just one more way to disappoint, frustrate — and lose — your donors.

You better get started … make next Monday your ‘Mobile Monday’!

Who said fundraising was going to be easy?!

Tom

P.S. Here’s that infographic …