ECommerce websites are getting more and more prevalent in the US. In 2016, there were 209.6 million regular online shoppers in the US, who have performed shopping activities like comparing prices and making purchases online. And this number could reach 230.5 million in 2021. And bear in mind: a large proportion of this market opportunity is in mobile. 67% would browse products on their cell phones for fun, 77% of these mobile window shoppers make impulse purchases, and for those who don’t, 70% would eventually return to make the purchase. These statistics indicate that mobile shopping represents a massive opportunity for eCommerce platforms.
For eCommerce business owners, optimizing your site for mobile is key to grasping future sales opportunities. We have a few tips for you.
In order to make your business mobile-friendly, here a few things you can do to help the consumer when using their mobile device.
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Quick loading time is essential for a mobile device
When you build your online store, make sure you optimize it to load quickly on a cell phone. An eCommerce page that loads slowly not only undermines the shopping experience but also loses money, as every extra second a page takes to load can increase customers’ chance of abandoning the page and leaving the purchase journey. A study has found that 40% of users abandon a page that takes more than three seconds to load. So having a short loading time is crucial for your bottom line as an eCommerce.
Mobile users may get impatient more easily than desktop users, and the pain of enduring a slow-loading page is real. Half of all mobile shoppers expect roughly the same page loading speed for mobile and desktops. Still, over 70% of mobile internet users said they’d encountered pages that are too slow to load. These numbers may give you more reasons to make your page mobile-friendly. To start, limit the HTML or JavaScript add-ons on your page, use a reliable content platform, or optimize your images. You can also test your page’s mobile compatibility with this Google tool. Also, consider exploring the LiteSpeed server features offered by hosts like NameHero. It can be dropped onto existing Apache configuration in 15 minutes with virtually no downtime, and it can make your website significantly faster on mobile. Overall, if your site is not quick to load, you are not a mobile-friendly business.
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Clear call-to-action makes it easy for mobile users
Imagine this: when customers take out their cell phones for some mobile window-shopping, various apps and pages are also competing for their attention. And this all happens on a small screen where space is minimal. Because of that, customers tend to have less patience when they are shopping on their cell phones. To better guide your customers through to checkout, consider making your instructions as straightforward as possible and include explicit calls-to-action (CTA).
Ideally, a customer should be able to understand what is happening and navigate and make decisions straight away without putting in too much effort. The best CTAs should keep the customer intrigued and interested while creating a sense of urgency to finish the purchase.
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One-click checkout on a mobile device
Did you know eCommerce websites now support one-click checkouts? Nowadays, eCommerce payment platforms can support this process. Customers can skip the “add to cart” section and pay directly on the product page. This feature makes the purchase flow much more streamline and could shorten the process by 90% and greatly prevent cart abandonment.
Also, having a one-click checkout mechanism can boost impulsive purchases. When a customer sees the appealing product image and description, a compelling and concise CTA to an instant checkout will help you seal the deal. Chances are the customer will be impressed enough to secure the merchandise with one click.
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Increase your credibility
Credibility is vital in a commercial world. This aspect is especially true online, where everything is done virtually and the risk of fraud is always around the corner. So, when making your business mobile-friendly, presenting your online business as a legitimate and trustworthy business is crucial for your mobile success. If your eCommerce business is website-based, remember to set up the green-bar SSL on your website. It shows your customer that your site is trustworthy and reputable, and their information is encrypted and in good hands. If you are using an app-based solution, use a transport-layer-security (TLS) to ensure end-to-end encryption. You can also introduce biometric authentication to help customers confirm their purchases at the checkout.
The non-technical aspects are equally important in building credibility. Small things like a bad on-page copy or blurred images can already undermine your customers’ confidence and make dropping off tempting. It is really about getting the details right when it comes to conveying trustworthiness. On top of that, including a few positive and genuine customer reviews can significantly uplift your credibility. Customers can have peace of mind with their choices if they see someone has done it before.
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Shopping experience matters
Customer experience matters to mobile shoppers the same way it does for bricks-and-mortar shoppers. Experience may be more decisive in a mobile sense since the customer experience is limited to the small screen in front of the customers.
To capture and retain your mobile shoppers, having a clear layout is vital. Nothing is better than a mobile page with simple navigation, drop-down menus, appealing images and copy, and a user-friendly conversion journey. The key is to make things simple, and always bear in mind, “less is more”. Then, if you want to go above and beyond in your offerings, consider adding location-specific discount codes or personalized messages, or even placing some relevant search ads on Google or Facebook.
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Support different payment methods
Supporting different payment methods is key to catering to as many customers as possible. There are methods out there, from payment platforms like digital wallets to various credit and debit cards. When building your mobile eCommerce site, remember to support these different wallets and cards so that you can capture the most customers possible. To make this work, you will need a payment platform that can look after the technical side of things, from the platform integration, payment method testing to chargeback management.
At Payline, we have a wide range of mobile solutions for your eCommerce platforms. We specialize in mobile payment processing and digital payment solutions, so your business will be ready to cater to a wide range of customers. Speak with us today and see how we can help make your business mobile-friendly.
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