Be Mobile

Ride the Rising Tide of Mobile Commerce

If you haven’t heard by now that mobile everything is all the rage, you’ve probably been living under a rock!  Mobilegeddon happened in April and we’re all still standing, but you should still make sure to provide a good mobile experience for your shoppers.

Though mobile commerce has been growing exponentially it still only makes up about 16% of all sales online.  Even if customers aren’t always buying on their mobile device, they are spending a significant amount of time in online stores – 55% of shoppers who visit e-tailers are doing so on mobile devices.

#1 Mobile Performance Tip: Be Fast!

  • 85% of mobile visitors expect the mobile version of a site to load as fast as, if not faster than, a desktop site.
  • 97% of mobile shoppers abandon their shopping cart
  • And 43% of mobile shoppers will go to a competitor or yours if they have a bad mobile experience.

What does this mean for you and the 2015 Holiday Shopping Season?

It means you need to optimize your site for mobile traffic!

Don’t worry, even though it’s too late for 2015 to build a dedicated mobile commerce site (or even to make your site responsive), there are steps you can take to optimize the mobile user experience.

  • First, check your site in Google’s Mobile Friendly tester.
    • Is your site considered mobile friendly?
    • If not, what issues are causing the problems?
    • Can you fix them yourself or do you need help?
  • Next, make sure the most important features of your site work on a variety of mobile devices.  The reason for doing this is to see firsthand how your site performs on different screen sizes.
    • Does the navigation work properly?
    • Are you able to add items to the cart?
    • Is the checkout process working like it’s supposed to?
    • Can you use the site search?

Don’t Have a Multitude of Mobile Devices?

Chances are you don’t have a bunch of different mobile devices lying around your office.

The next best thing is to try an online service like MobileTest.me.  It simulates your site on various screen sizes and devices so you can see what it looks like and where it might be falling short.

Make Mobile Improvements

Once you’ve tested your site for mobile compatibility, you’ll have a better idea about where you stand with regards to performance.

  • Focus on speed.  Mobile users expect high performance from websites.
  • Consider adding a wallet payment option.  Adding a wallet, like Google Wallet or Amazon Payments, will not only make it easier for customers to pay, it will speed up your site, too!
    • Another advantage to using a wallet is added security.  The wallet is a more secure way for customers to pay.
  • Fix broken JavaScript.  When running your site through the tests, you might have found some cart or checkout options that didn’t work.  If you’re not a techie, contact professionals to fix those right away!

Of course, if you have any questions about mobile optimization, you know who to ask!