Why Online Trading Platforms Must Go Mobile in 2025

The Mobile Imperative: How Trading Has Gone On-the-Go

The online trading landscape in 2025 is defined by mobility, speed, and seamless access. According to industry data from recent years, retail investors account for 71% of the investment app market – signaling a strong shift toward mobile-first investing. Mobile devices also drive over 43% of U.S. retail e-commerce sales, underscoring broader changes in how people interact with digital financial services.

Mobile trading is no longer a “nice-to-have” add-on but the core expectation of investors, advisors, and brokers across the U.S. financial sector. With over 130 million people worldwide using mobile apps to trade stocks-up from 51.9 million just a few years ago-the shift to mobile is both dramatic and irreversible. 

Why Mobile? Meeting the Needs of a New Generation

• Gen Z and Millennials Lead the Charge:
  71% of Gen Z are now active investors, with 79% preferring to manage finances on their phones. This generation values flexibility, immediacy, and intuitive digital experiences. They are also more likely to invest frequently-71% of Gen Z make a trade at least once a month, and 12% trade daily.
• On-the-Go Workflows:
  Today’s financial professionals and clients expect to check portfolios on the way to meetings, manage alerts from anywhere, and present real-time dashboards to clients directly from a tablet or phone. The ability to trade and manage wealth from anywhere is now a baseline expectation, not a luxury.

What Clients Expect from a Mobile Trading Platform

Clients today expect more than just the ability to place trades. Their expectations have been shaped by consumer-grade fintech apps like Robinhood –  and they bring those expectations into relationships with professional broker-dealers and advisors. Industry research and user experience studies show that today’s investors and advisors want much more than just the ability to place trades. They expect:

• Unified Experience:
  Seamless synchronization between desktop and mobile-orders, portfolios, and notifications must update instantly across all devices.
• Intuitive, Customizable UI:
  Clean interfaces, customizable dashboards, and easy navigation are essential for both novice and professional users.
• Advanced Security:
  Features like biometric authentication (Face ID, Touch ID, fingerprint), two-factor authentication, and secure password reset directly in the app are now standard.
• Real-Time Data and Alerts:
  Live quotes, interactive charts, and instant push or SMS notifications for key account events.
• Comprehensive Functionality:
  Full access to advanced order types, options chains, portfolio analytics, and compliance tools-no compromises compared to desktop platforms.
• Personalization:
  Ability to brand the app, configure features, and adapt the user experience to different client segments.

Whether you’re looking to offer the best trading app for active investors or simplify onboarding for first-time clients, these features are no longer optional — they’re expected.

Research consistently shows that users value fast, frictionless login, at-a-glance access to key metrics like P/L and portfolio performance, and the ability to personalize dashboards and layouts. Intuitive, user-friendly design is crucial for both retention and client satisfaction.

From Desktop to App: Bringing Full Platforms to Mobile

Designing a trading app isn’t just about shrinking the screen. For B2B players, the challenge is turning a complex trading platform – complete with OMS, compliance tools, onboarding workflows, and multi-leg options – into a fully functional mobile experience.

But mobile doesn’t mean simplified. It means:

• Preserving full control and advanced features
• Reorganizing UI for smaller screens
• Enhancing usability for both professionals and casual investors

The platforms that succeed are those that provide both power and usability – not a watered-down version of a desktop terminal.

What’s Next: How ETNA Helps Broker-Dealers Go Mobile

ETNA builds white-label trading platforms designed for today’s mobile-first expectations. With two distinct mobile apps, brokers can offer tailored experiences for every type of client:

• Advanced Mobile Trader – for day traders, professionals, and technical users
  
• Basic Mobile Trader – for newer investors seeking simplicity and ease of use

Whether you’re a broker-dealer, RIA, or fintech firm, ETNA’s white label brokerage platform provides a flexible mobile infrastructure to serve all types of clients.

Both apps integrate with the full ETNA platform – including the web trading terminal and advisor tools – ensuring consistent data, synchronized order activity, and seamless user experience across devices. Whether clients start on mobile or finish on desktop, their activity stays connected and up to date.

Stay tuned for the next article, where we’ll take a closer look at how ETNA’s mobile apps help broker-dealers and advisors deliver a modern trading experience that’s fast, intuitive, and always on.

Have questions or want to see ETNA’s mobile trading platform in action? Contact us to book a demo.