Better Mobile User Experience for Ecommerce
Around two-thirds of eCommerce takes place on mobile phones. It’s even got a name: M-commerce. This makes it vital to create responsive websites with strong Mobile User Experience, to support sustainable sales via handheld and wearable tech.
The way User Experience (UX) works across different devices is subtly different.
As there is an increasing variety of technology used to access the internet, ambitious online retailers must appreciate and respond to those differences, to keep sales figures healthy. Including building websites that work well in response to voice-activated commands and searches.
However, a more pressing priority is being confident that people who are shopping using smartphones have their expectations and demands fully met. Including quick, convenient and stress-free ways to shop on small screens.
Estimates suggest that M-Commerce is now worth almost $3 trillion!
So, of course, you want your share of that. This isn’t going to happen if your mobile UX is poor (and you’re turning off up to 70% of your customers!).
This article looks at ways to improve mobile user experience for ecommerce, with important upgrades to website designs.
Agile performance on small screens
The fundamentals of how your pages load and appear on handheld devices must be covered within responsive web designs.
To make lead conversion more assured, you must also give users opportunities to interact quickly and seamlessly with all pages and features. Including, way to quickly zoom in on images or forms with a simple finger pinch or double-tap.
Data and personalised communications
Ensure your website design is user-centric – and created to maximise data analysis –by including product suggestions and reminders based on their browsing history.
There is nothing more frustrating than interacting with an online retailer via your mobile, only to have your digital basket, registration details or payment information ‘disappear’ mid-process.
The best ecommerce designs for mobiles have finely tuned save functions, that hold data for the customer to come back to.
If your website design is user-centric – and created to maximise data analysis – this should include product suggestions and reminders based on their browsing history.
Keep form fields fundamental
Time-sensitive consumers will not waste a minute on filling out complex forms.
Mobile User Experience can really expose overcomplex forms. There are two things we constantly repeat in our eCommerce business articles – keep things simple and allow site visitors to checkout as guests!
Time-sensitive consumers will not waste a minute on filling out complex forms.
Smooth out speed typing
Include intelligent auto-suggestion, and features such as auto-detection and error correction.
In fact, consumers won’t always give their undivided attention to even the basic information they put into forms and search bars!
The best eCommerce web designs for mobiles include intelligent auto-suggestion, and such features as auto-detection and error correction when inputted data is a close match.
Thumbs up for successful mobile retailing
Good navigation and performance on small screens also depend on website features that can be used with a thumb.
Good navigation and performance on small screens also depend on website features that can be used with a thumb!
If you include small buttons or low-key calls to action, impatient consumers will get frustrated in seconds.
Think about this. When people search for information about products and services online using a mobile, 60% then click straight through to phone numbers to speak to customer service or sales teams. If you make this hard, they won’t bother!
Location marketing/UX tips
Consumers love to get interactive maps showing the location of a brand’s network of outlets.
If you are a bricks and clicks retailer – or need to get people to your door for other reasons – there are important mobile website features to consider.
Especially ensuring that your site design optimises smartphone GPS functions. Consumers love to find click and collect services or handy retail venues ‘near me’. Or, to get interactive maps showing the location of a brand’s network of outlets.
Smooth searching and payment
Smooth searching and payment are the twin pillars of sustainable lead conversion on M-Commerce.
These are the twin pillars of sustainable lead conversion on M-Commerce.
First, visitors to your pages must be provided with quick search tools that work well on small screens.
Second, their transition to completing a transaction should be seamless.
This requires an easy to use and fast checkout system for mobile eCommerce, with in-built payment options (including Google and Apple Pay for example). If they get passed to external sites or new pages that request their attention, there’s a good chance you will suffer from high numbers of abandoned shopping carts!
M-Commerce of the future
As people increasingly shop via handheld and wearable devices, retailers must increasingly accommodate their behaviours, expectations and preferences. This could well include exploring Augmented Reality, 3D visuals and sophisticated chatbot technology in the very near future!
If you want to be confident that you have all the current Mobile User Experience features needed for buoyant sales, contact Factory Pattern for a web design upgrade.