Best Buy is enhancing the convenience factor for shopping on its application by allowing users to add items to their cart by simply holding an icon, reflecting how retailers are looking to drive conversion rates on mobile.

The electronics retailer is taking advantage of some of the new iPhone 6 features such as tap and hold, removing the need to stop browsing and continue onto another page in order to add an item to the shopping cart. Most items in the mobile app now allow users to simply hold the product to purchase.

“Apple, with its iOS 9.0 and the iPhone 6 release last year, introduced a tap and hold interface,” said Michael Becker, managing partner at mCordis. “This interface opened up a world of possibilities for marketers to reduced the friction when it comes to interacting with a marketer’s applications.

“Best Buy has leverage this feature to make shopping on their app easier,” he said. “People can now use the tap and hold interface to compare products and add product to the shopping cart.”

Streamlining shopping
Shoppers on Best Buy’s mobile app now have a streamlined method of shopping that removes extra steps within the checkout process. Eradicating a long purchasing process makes big strides in closing the gap between conversions on mobile, as the more complicated the checkout process is, the more likely a shopper is to drop out.

Best Buy’s latest app update allows users to compare laptops side by side, for a more informed decision, a problem that has risen in the past from mobile shopping due to smartphones’ small screens. The more information a user can receive regarding a product, the more likely he or she is to purchase.

Users now only need to hold onto the product to add it to their cart for future checkout. For instance, while browsing products, users can pick up a product by tapping and holding onto it, then bringing up the option to add it to cart.

Holding onto a product for about three seconds will launch a pop-up in which users can select add to cart and view an enlarged version of its product information, including full name and price.

App updates
JCPenney similarly started offering in-app purchases for major appliances in select markets, taking the chain’s efforts to lure back customers by reintroducing a long-absent product category to mobile for the first time (see more).

Restaurant reservation service OpenTable also ramped up mobile bookings by redesigning its iPhone app, enabling users to enjoy faster visual browsing of eateries based on elements such as proximity, availability and personal favorites (see more).

“The key benefit of these the two new features in the recent Best Buy app release, tap and hold product comparison and add to cart, provide one key benefit friction reduction,” Mr. Becker said. “They reduce the steps of decision making and stream line the individual’s experience.

“This is a great example of one of the core tenants of connected marketing, reducing friction. Best Buy has done a nice job,” he said.