Quarter of largest non-profits lack mobile-responsive site, says report
Melanie May | 28 November 2017 | News
Almost half (45%) of UK consumers have made a donation via their mobile phones but many charities do not yet have a mobile-responsive site, according to a report by Episerver.
Episerver questioned 20 leading UK charities and 1,200 UK consumers for its Giving on the Go report. The research looks at the mobile strategies of the non-profit sector, examining the extent to which charities are meeting growing demand for mobile-enabled payments and how non-profits could benefit from a giving-on-the-go approach.
It found that while three out of five of the UK’s top charities offer an iPhone app, the majority of them are promotional rather than used as a way to accept payments or encourage donations with only 25% capable of managing donations. The survey also found that few of the charities benchmarked provided Android apps, while a quarter lack a responsive mobile website altogether, with some relying on mobile redirects and others having no mobile-friendly site at all.
However, mobile is increasingly important for consumers: according to the report 45% of consumers say they will leave a mobile site immediately if they have difficulty accessing it while mobile payments are rising with 45% of consumers having made a donation via their mobiles in the past year. Around one in five (22%) people donate to a charity in this way at least once a month, while 37% have used their mobiles to make an annual donation.
The report also found that women make more donations via a mobile phone or tablet than men, but that men are more likely to do so frequently and on a repeat basis. Age-wise, people aged 25-34 are the most likely to donate via a mobile device, with a quarter (25%) making a mobile donation at least once a week, while 74% of the over 55s have never made a donation this way.
Joey Moore, Director of Product Marketing at Episerver, said:
“Now more than ever, mobile payment is playing a huge role in both marketing and the day-to-day activities of consumers. Already, many of us have grown accustomed to purchasing food, clothing and travel using mobile payment apps; charitable donations are simply the next step in this evolving trend.
“Charities and non-profits have a big opportunity to use mobile technologies for maximum impact. As a generation of mobile-first consumers emerge, those organisations that fail to develop mobile-friendly websites or quick-pay apps will increasingly lose out on potential donations and future long-term patrons.”
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About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.