Introduction
Mobile optimization is a must-have for any e-commerce site. But what does it mean, exactly? In this article, we’ll shed some light on the importance of mobile optimization and how it can improve your conversion rate and overall user experience.
Mobile is the future of e-commerce
Mobile is the future of e-commerce. It’s no longer a question of if, but when and how you’ll be optimizing your site for mobile customers.
Mobile is the fastest growing channel for e-commerce, with more than 50{b863a6bd8bb7bf417a957882dff2e3099fc2d2367da3e445e0ec93769bd9401c} of mobile users shopping on their phones. In fact, according to Google’s research company Millward Brown Digital: “In 2016 alone, US consumers spent over $100 billion using their phones to make purchases – an increase from $68 billion in 2015.”
Users are increasingly using mobile to shop
Mobile traffic is up and mobile conversion rates are up. In fact, mobile e-commerce sales are expected to reach more than $200 billion by 2021.
In other words: if your site isn’t optimized for mobile users, you’re missing out on a ton of potential sales.
It’s a channel you can’t afford to ignore
Mobile is a channel you can’t afford to ignore. It’s the future of e-commerce, and it’s here to stay.
The number of people using mobile devices to shop is increasing every day. According to Statista, in 2017 there were nearly 1 billion active smartphone users in the United States alone–and this number will continue growing as more people get their hands on smartphones with better features and faster speeds than ever before.
Users want their friends’ opinions before they buy on their phone
You should make it easy for users to share their purchases with their friends. They want to see what other people think of your product before they buy, so you should provide them with the means to do so. People are always looking out for new things that they can buy, but they want someone else’s opinion first.
You can use reviews and ratings as a way of helping your users decide whether or not they want to purchase something from you. If someone has already bought something from you in the past, then other customers may be more likely to trust them when making a buying decision on their own because their experience has already been validated by someone else who has purchased from you before (or vice versa).
People search in different ways on mobile than they do on desktop
If you are a small business owner, it is important to know that people use mobile search in different ways than they do on desktop. As the chart below shows, people often use mobile search to find local businesses or information about products or services. They also look for reviews and recommendations from friends on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram (which we’ll cover later).
Optimizing your e-commerce site for mobile will increase conversions and engagement.
Mobile is the future of e-commerce.
According to Statista, mobile sales will account for more than half of all online retail sales by 2020. Mobile users are also more likely than desktop users to purchase a product after visiting an e-commerce site (53{b863a6bd8bb7bf417a957882dff2e3099fc2d2367da3e445e0ec93769bd9401c} vs 45{b863a6bd8bb7bf417a957882dff2e3099fc2d2367da3e445e0ec93769bd9401c}). So if you don’t optimize your site for mobile devices, you’re missing out on both a huge chunk of potential revenue and some key customer data that could help improve the experience on other platforms as well.
Mobile users want their friends’ opinions before they buy on their phones:
A survey by Monetate found that almost half (47{b863a6bd8bb7bf417a957882dff2e3099fc2d2367da3e445e0ec93769bd9401c}) of consumers look at reviews before making a purchase decision on mobile devices–and when they do read reviews, 44{b863a6bd8bb7bf417a957882dff2e3099fc2d2367da3e445e0ec93769bd9401c} say they trust them more than what’s written in-store or on packaging labels! This means that optimizing your site for mobile isn’t just about making sure everything looks good–you also need to make sure there are lots of opportunities for customers to share their experiences with others who might be considering similar purchases themselves.
Conclusion
We hope that this post has helped you understand the importance of mobile optimization. We know it can be a little intimidating, but we also think that it’s worth it! If you’re feeling overwhelmed at all by this new world order where everyone is on their phones all the time, remember that these tips are just starting points. There are plenty more ways to optimize your e-commerce site for mobile users–and if nothing else, at least now you’ll know what those might be when someone suggests them to you (or perhaps even suggests them first!).
