The Complete Guide to Mobile Personalization

Mobile is now the fastest-growing channel for online shopping, especially for retailers earning more than $10,000 GMV per year. A 2022 Pew Research Center report found that 76% of US adults shop online using a smartphone. 

As consumers continue to embrace mobile shopping, retailers must update their strategies. Mobile personalization is the single most important factor, as shoppers expect personalization at every touchpoint, wherever they buy. 

Ahead, you’ll learn the key aspects of mobile personalization and practical tips for success.

The rise of mobile commerce

Mobile usage is at an all-time high, and smartphones have become a near-constant companion for browsing and buying. In fact, more than 60% of US adults see mobile shopping as essential for convenience, according to a December 2022 Morning Consult poll. 

Shop Pay users back this up by opting for mobile devices more than 70% of the time when making purchases. It’s not all about checking out. Platforms like the Shop app make it easy to discover new brands, save customer preferences, and complete speedy transactions. 

This surge in mobile adoption means mcommerce (mobile commerce) is rising fast:

• Time spent on phones: US mobile phone users will average 3 hours and 15 minutes per day on their devices in 2024. (eMarketer)
• Growing sales: Retail mcommerce will hit $542.73 billion in 2024, making up 7.4% of total US retail sales. (eMarketer)
• Ecommerce shift: By 2024, mcommerce will account for 44.6% of total US retail ecommerce. (eMarketer)

As shoppers scroll through social feeds and websites on their phones, they expect seamless experiences that blend discovery, purchase, and personalization at every touchpoint. Retailers who embrace mobile through well-designed websites, dedicated apps, and smart payment options stand a better chance of keeping these shoppers engaged.

Understanding mobile shopper expectations

Mobile shoppers want every interaction on their phones to feel tailored and effortless. 

They want relevant product recommendations, relevant offers, and frictionless checkout—all wrapped up in a smooth mobile experience. Some 50% of consumers say that personalized offers and promotions from brands they’ve already interacted with improve their overall shopping experience.

Yet, ecommerce personalization doesn’t stop with suggestions or discounts. A full 100% of buyers now expect to self-serve, handling key parts of their journey like browsing, comparing products, and managing returns on their own. 

With smart mobile personalization, retailers can meet shoppers where they are, offering the right mix of convenience, relevance, and control that keeps customers coming back.

Mobile personalization strategies

1. Mobile-optimized storefronts

A sluggish mobile website can instantly drive customers away. That’s why having a fast and flexible storefront is important. 

A study of over 200,000 publicly available data points shows that Shopify stores render at least 1.8 times faster—and up to 2.4 times faster—than stores on other platforms. Speed matters because slow load times can break the flow of a purchase, leaving shoppers frustrated and less likely to come back.

However, performance alone isn’t enough. A storefront should reflect the brand’s style and personality while guiding shoppers smoothly through the buying journey. 

Intuitive menus, large buttons, and clear categories reduce friction and encourage more clicks. Personal touches, such as tailored product recommendations or loyalty perks, also enhance the experience and build stronger connections with customers.

2. Personalized product recommendations

Personalized product recommendations create a sense of individual attention for shoppers. 

With Shopify’s unified data model, you can bring together a shopper’s browsing history, past purchases, and personal preferences into one customer profile. Every action adds to the overall customer picture. If a customer creates an account and signs in, you can offer relevant, timely product recommendations that make them feel genuinely understood.

The Shop app is another channel where small moments can turn into sales opportunities. Customers often open the app simply to check on an order’s status, but soon notice fresh arrivals or suggested items. This transition from tracking to browsing sparks further user engagement and keeps shoppers within the ecosystem. For brands, it’s a chance to reintroduce products, highlight complementary items, or unveil new collections without any extra promotional push.

Personalized recommendations also allow buyers to deepen loyalty with brands they already love. In the Shop app, customers often stumble upon fresh categories or partner stores they hadn’t considered, adding more variety to their shopping routine and elevating their lifetime value.

Some action steps:

1. Unify first-party data: Centralize each shopper’s browsing history, past orders, demographics, and behavior across channels to ensure every recommendation feels on point.
2. Encourage account creation: Highlight loyalty perks, wish lists, or membership benefits, which prompt shoppers to share more details and enrich future recommendations.
3. Leverage routine moments: Suggest products on order tracking and confirmation screens, giving shoppers a friendly nudge toward items that match their interests.

3. Mobile-friendly checkout

A frictionless mobile checkout process determines whether a browsing session turns into a sale. Slow or confusing steps quickly lead to abandoned carts, while speedy checkout can result in sales. Shop Pay is the internet’s best-converting checkout and most trusted digital wallet. 

Shoppers sign in effortlessly, check out in a single tap, and earn 1% Shop Cash back on every order. This smooth experience converts up to 50% more effectively than guest checkouts and outperforms other accelerated checkout solutions by as much as 10%. Flexible payment options also lower costs: Lull reported a 25% reduction in processing fees when it offered Shop Pay installments.

After a first purchase through Shop Pay, users become 77% more likely to buy again on any Shopify store. In fact, when Shop Pay is visible, 68% of shoppers choose it. Decor Steals showed the impact of pairing an intuitive site design with Shop Pay, resulting in a 10% boost in conversions and 7% fewer abandoned carts.

Speed and simplicity are everything in mobile commerce. An easy payment flow, combined with perks like Shop Cash and Shop Pay Installments, turns checkout into a high-converting gateway rather than a stumbling block.

4. Personalized push notifications and in-app messaging

Reaching customers on their phones at the right moment turns interest into engagement. Push notifications and in-app messages introduce offers or updates in real time, reminding users of your brand even when they aren’t actively browsing.

With the Shop app, you can send alerts that keep customers informed about product drops, special releases, or limited collections as soon as they launch. Brands can personalize outreach with behavior-based messaging. For example, you can send exclusive deals or tailored product recommendations based on individual users’ browsing habits and purchase history.

5. Leveraging first-party data for mobile personalization

The decline of third-party cookies has made it harder for online retailers to identify website visitors and run targeted marketing campaigns. Retargeting is most affected because fewer users can be recognized from session to session. 

In response, brands are turning to first-party data, or information they directly collect from shoppers, to fuel more effective, privacy-forward strategies. Shopify’s commerce platform helps centralize and connect interactions across channels, devices, and sessions into a single source of truth. This approach helps retailers recognize more site visitors than before.

Even if someone shops on multiple devices or returns days later, Shopify’s platform “restores” that buyer’s identity and provides a smooth, personalized experience. That unified view is the core of hyperpersonalization on mobile, strengthening the ability to tailor offers and messages in real time.

Some other tools Shopify offers to help improve omnichannel personalization are Shopify Audiences, Shop Pay, and Segmentation. 

Shopify Audiences

Shopify Audiences improves ad campaign performance by leveraging insights from the vast commerce activity on Shopify. Brands tap into lookalike and retargeting segments built on aggregated, anonymized user data, targeting the right customers on top ad platforms with more precision.

Businesses using Audiences typically see their retargeting lists at least double in size, unlocking new potential buyers who share similarities with existing customers.

Happy Hippo achieved a 4.7 times return on ad spend, 72% lower customer acquisition costs, a 200% increase in conversion rate, and a 51% lower cost per thousand ad impressions after adopting Shopify Audiences.

Shop Pay

Shop Pay is the most-used digital wallet in the US across Shopify’s network, measured as a share of Shopify’s total online GMV. Accelerated checkout experiences and trusted payment methods become even more powerful when paired with first-party data insights. Recognizing returning users and streamlining the path to purchase consistently boosts sales and keeps shoppers engaged.

Segmentation

Dividing customers into relevant groups can dramatically improve marketing KPIs. Campaigns become far more effective when segments align with unique customer behaviors, purchase history, and browsing patterns.

Shopify’s segmentation tools rely on ShopifyQL, letting retailers query their customer list with almost any question imaginable. Shopify Magic then displays a natural-language translation of each query, so the correct segment is identified. A full 99% of customer segments refresh within minutes of any data changes on Shopify, so marketing lists stay accurate. 

Using first-party data in these ways turns generic mobile experiences into tailored customer journeys. Retailers strengthen bonds with existing customers, meet new audiences more effectively, and stay flexible in the mobile marketing space.

The Shop app: A mobile app personalization powerhouse

The Shop app combines a dedicated shopping app with the simplicity of a digital wallet, helping businesses amplify their reach in an environment where consumers already feel at ease. 

Every interaction, from browsing product feeds to checking out with Shop Pay, happens in a space designed for quick, mobile-first engagement. It’s an effortless user experience that turns casual shoppers into active customers and drives faster business growth.

Successful brands are tapping into the Shop app’s network of highly engaged users. Lull, for instance, now sees 1% of their total orders coming directly from Shop. Meanwhile, Thrive Causemetics enjoyed a 13 times increase in Shop app orders in under a year. 

Instant access to order updates and personalized product recommendations keeps shoppers in the loop, encourages repeat visits, and boosts conversion rates. Businesses eager to expand their visibility and nurture loyal, mobile-focused audiences find the Shop app indispensable for efficient and consistent growth.

Case studies of successful mobile personalization

Monos

Monos, a Canadian travel brand, manages four global online stores with a lean team. They needed a simpler way to maintain and optimize their checkout experience, given the high stakes of optimizing their conversion rates, without constant code maintenance. Upgrading from checkout.liquid to Checkout Extensibility solved these challenges.

This allowed Monos to create app-based checkout customizations (e.g., upsells for luggage covers, integrated shipping insurance) that no longer break existing features or require repetitive efforts across their four storefronts.

These integrations seamlessly worked with Shop Pay, resulting in a checkout experience that converts up to 50% better than guest checkout.

👉 Read Monos’ story.

Maine Lobster Now

Maine Lobster Now specializes in delivering fresh Maine lobster across North America, a process that demands precise shipping dates and a deeply customized checkout. 

Originally on Magento, the team faced high development costs, security concerns, and code-heavy customization just to keep pace with customer needs. Switching to Shopify simplified these challenges.

The customized customer experience lets shoppers choose exact delivery dates, and shipping rates adjust automatically, even for weekend or holiday deliveries. This boosted conversion by 69% and 97% on mobile, and also reduced fraud and chargebacks.

👉 Read Maine Lobster Now’s story.

Create better mobile shopping experiences with Shopify

Mobile personalization is no longer optional. For brands to stand out, it’s important to make sure your mobile interactions are timely, relevant, and exciting. Tapping into first-party customer data is the best way to move customers from product discovery to checkout on their phones.

Explore Shopify's suite of solutions or reach out to our sales team for tailored options that support next-level mobile personalization and brand growth.