NEW YORK ? A Steve Madden executive revealed at the Mobile Shopping Summit that more than 10.5 percent of his company's total Web traffic is coming from mobile devices, representing 250 percent growth over the past six months.

The brand has seen a consistent trend demonstrating the power of mobile: In April, 4.4 percent of Steve Madden?s total online traffic was driven via mobile, in May it jumped up to 7.9 percent, in June it was 8.6 percent, in July 9.5 percent and in October it is 10.5 percent.

?Especially in the footwear, apparel and accessories sector, a mobile site is a must,? said Andrew Koven, president of ecommerce and customer experience at Steve Madden, New York. ?We feel that our mobile site reaching 10.5 percent of our total traffic and 250 percent growth in mobile traffic over six months is pretty powerful.

?The growth of mobile adoption is like nothing we?ve ever seen before, and if you think the last two years have been interesting, the next 10 will be wild,? he said. ?We?re riding a whole new wave of consumer behavior, and it will play out in retail, supermarkets, CPG, footwear?pick your business.

?Mobile is impacting everything, and it?s a game-changer.?

Mobile drives foot traffic, sales
Looking at its mobile analytics from April 19 to Oct. 25, Steve Madden has recorded 880,000 visits to its mobile site.

The average time spent on its mobile site is six minutes and 53 seconds, while the total time spend on its site over that six-month period is 6.25 million minutes.

Steve Madden sold 7,856 products in that time frame via mobile, generating $520,866 revenue, with an average order price of $83.70.

While the conversion rate was just 0.71 percent, it is still early days, and Steve Madden expects that number to increase steadily, with a spike during the upcoming holiday season.

Even though Mr. Koven concedes that applications have certain advantages over a mobile Web site, such as high-level aesthetics and functionality, Steve Madden launched a mobile Web site first to take advantage of search traffic.

In addition, a mobile site is quicker to launch and easier to update, per Steve Madden.

?We focused on a mobile Web site first to get the product information out there,? Mr. Koven said. ?Consumers are getting a better understanding of how to utilize mobile.?

The brand has been well-rewarded for optimizing its site for mobile devices.

?Let?s wait until the fourth quarter and present what happened during a mission-critical shopping period, the holidays,? Mr. Koven said.

Steve Madden?s mobile site lets consumers identify product inventory in store based on their location, select products based on size and color, find the distance to the nearest retail location and get directions via Google Maps.

?It?s important to have in that [location-based element] in place for the holidays,? Mr. Koven said. ?In the fourth quarter, that?s going to be exponentially more significant?I need it now, where is it??

Meeting or exceeding expectations
When a brand or retailer is formulating its mobile strategy, it is important to take into account what their core audience expects from a mobile experience.

What do consumers want? Speed and efficiency, information that is personalized, localized and customized, targeted promotions, timeliness, availability and efficiency, per Mr. Koven.

When visiting a brand?s mobile site, consumers want to be engaged, entertained and inspired, per Mr. Koven. They expect ease of use, brand recognition, great service and social synergies.

Steve Madden has built a dedicated following on Facebook, and many of its fans and ?likers? access the brand?s page via their Facebook Mobile application.

Steve Madden?s focus is on making mobile social, engaging and fun.

The brand will have a Facebook commerce experience in place for Thanksgiving to create another point of contact for customers to reach Steve Madden. There will be full site functionality, include checkout, without leaving the Facebook experience.

?It?s not about the size of your following on Facebook if you don?t have engagement,? Mr. Koven said. ?Mobile is an accelerant to engagement if you do it well.?

Mobile makes consumers? lives easier, and brands and retailers should keep that in mind when designing their mobile properties.

What do Steve Madden executives want or need from consumers? Happiness and satisfaction, foot and site traffic, sales, conversion activities, better direction and performance of their marketing dollars, customer loyalty, behavioral data and information, positive word of mouth, validation of their ideas and investments and help keeping their jobs.

?Mobile is the major proliferator of a model where consumers are at the center,? Mr. Koven said. ?Mobile has made that requirement so significant that at Steve Madden we stood up and we listened.?

Final Take
Lindsay Woodworth, director of marketing at 2ergo, Washington

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