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E-COMMERCE SPECIALISTS SINCE 1996

Are You Providing the Best Mobile Shopping Experience? Here’s How You Can Tell

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Did you know that consumers spend an average of 3 ½ hours per day on mobile devices?

That’s 3 ½ hours a day that you could be making sales. But if your site isn’t providing a great mobile experience, you’re not going to convert visitors into buyers.

Not sure if you’re providing the best mobile shopping experience? Here are a few questions to ask yourself—and a few tips on how to fix your site if you need to be a bit more mobile.

the Best Mobile Shopping Experience?Is it Mobile First?

If you’re not thinking mobile first, then you’re not providing the best mobile experience for your customers.

Mobile users interact with your website differently than desktop users, and it’s not just a screen size issue.

When a customer interacts with your site from their phone, they’re usually killing time on their way to something else. Maybe they’re making their morning commute. Maybe they’re waiting for their lunch to microwave in the office breakroom. Or maybe they just need a five-minute brain break before they’re mentally prepared to deal with their children.

This means that mobile users like their content short, sweet, and easily digestible—and their path to finding it is different than a desktop user. If you don’t plan your store to account for the mobile user journey, you’re going to lose customers before they spend a dime.

Is it Optimized for Mobile?

With that in mind, it’s important to ensure that your site is optimized for mobile.

What works nice on a large, beautiful desktop monitor just won’t work on a tiny smartphone screen. And it’s not just about images or layout (lots of images will slow down your load time and wear on your users’ patience).

Optimizing for mobile includes accounting for even the smallest details that make the user experience. For example: how many questions do you ask the customer when they buy something? Every question you remove will improve the mobile experience.

Is it Responsive?

If you need a one-word mantra for building a solid mobile experience, “responsive” is it.

Responsive web design is a godsend for e-commerce designers. Basically, this type of web design allows you to have one website with elements that respond differently based on what device you’re viewing from.

So instead of worrying about how large images will muck up your design when viewed on a smartphone, you can include those beautiful images and graphics for desktop users while also giving tablet and smartphone users a site that automatically adjusts for easy scrolling and touchscreen functionality.

Your mobile visitors can be split into two distinct categories:

  1. Those who swipe
  2. Those who search

When you think of mobile customers, make sure to optimize your site for both camps.

For example, if someone wants to swipe in order to browse, they should be able to do so with ease. But your search bar should also be accessible and easy to locate.

Remember, if you optimize for one but not the other, you’re going to alienate the other.

Is it Interactive?

With mobile customers, it’s important to remember that mobile is a relationship.

If you’re not considering how people interact with your site, the relationship will go sour.

Today, people fall in love with brands because they feel like they have a connection with them. They see that the brand is willing to make adjustments in the content they offer based on the user in question. Strong interactions will draw the user in and catch their attention, allowing you to build a rapport with them and convince them (subtly, of course) to buy your products.

Is it Accessible?

Not sure what accessibility means in mobile web design?

Web accessibility refers to websites, tools, and applications that are designed in such a way that individuals with disabilities can still understand and contribute to them, whether they have auditory, visual, cognitive, physical, speech, or other disabilities. It also benefits those with “temporary disabilities” such as a broken arm, or situational limitations.

Think about it. The Web is a resource that many of us take for granted. It’s easy to type any question into a Google search bar and move on with our lives.

But the Web can be just as useful—perhaps even more so—for individuals with disabilities. The key is to provide them a website they can use.

The good news for business owners and web designers is that web accessibility often overlaps with best practices for web design and usability. Plus, it shows your customers that you truly care about them, no matter what their abilities may be.

Is it Possible for Customers to See Product Details?

It’s the classic problem of e-commerce: recreating the experience of shopping in a brick and mortar store. One of the key components of bridging the gap is a solid product description, one that draws the customer in and gives them a clear idea of the product they’re contemplating.

And if your customer can’t see the product details, you’ve got a serious problem on your hands.

Think about how well your customers can see the details—how hard is it to open the product description? Is it big enough to read without magnifying? If they have to magnify, how badly does it mess up the layout—do they have to scroll back and forth to read the text?

Do You Need to Optimize Your Mobile Shopping Experience?

Having asked yourself these questions, do you need to optimize your mobile shopping experience?

If so, we can help. We know how to design a website that your customers will love, so that you can focus on doing what you do best: providing products that your customers love.

Want to find out more about how we can help? Get in touch today!

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