Smartphones and tablets are replacing the classic desktop.
Therefore it is hardly surprising that more and more mobile shopping is taking place.
To make the online shopping experience as straightforward and as enjoyable as possible, your online shop should be optimised for tablets and smartphones.
By Herbert Buchhorn*
MOBILE OPTIMISATION – A NECESSARY EVIL?
In 2015, Google began to roll out its first mobile-friendly update, better known to webmasters as Mobilegeddon which was then followed by another update in May of this year. Since then, optimised pages and shops for smartphones and tablets have received a measurable push.
As soon as the mobile indexing of websites becomes the leading index for the Google search, it is inevitable for shop owners to provide a mobile-optimised version of their online shop, even if most of their income is generated via the desktop version.
Although Google rewards mobile-optimised online shops with a better ranking, as a shop operator, you should have the needs of mobile users in mind. It’s worth considering partnering with an ecommerce app development company to ensure your platform is optimally designed for mobile use.
RESPONSIVE DESIGN – A MUST HAVE IN TODAYS WORLD
Since the size and resolution of the different displays vary considerably from laptop to tablets to smartphones, responsive designs for online shops are a must-have these days. This means that the pages are optimally displayed on all screens and adapt to the end device.
FAST LOADING TIMES FOR BETTER USER EXPERIENCE
If you are browsing while on the train or bus, which can also mean slower internet speed, you usually neither have the patience nor the time to wait for the website to load up. If the loading speed is any longer than 2 -3 seconds, the user will go back to the Google search and select a shop relevant to them. For this reason, mobile-optimised shops should always keep their loading speeds in mind and continually optimise them
Test your internet speed here
FINGER-FRIENDLY BUTTONS AND INPUT FIELDS
A finger is not the cursor or a mouse. It is not uncommon for mobile users to leave an online shop frustrated because they either do not have the tenacity to hit small buttons or they have to zoom in and out of the display to see what they are typing. When designing your mobile shop, make sure that the input fields, navigation and other buttons are easily clickable both on small and large mobile devices, even for people with wide fingers.
FAST NAVIGATION VIA FILTERS AND SEARCH FUNCTIONS
The classic online shop interface with tabs and navigation bars only works to a limited extent on mobile displays. A large search function bar and various filter functions will lead the user to the desired product more quickly.
If you want to encourage potential customers to browse, scrollable or wipeable product presentations are more suitable than sorting by category or redirecting to sub-pages.
INPUT FIELDS: AS MUCH AS NECESSARY BUT AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE!
Typing on your mobile or tablet can be sometimes frustrating especially when you are filling out forms of registration. If there are too many input fields, especially if they are not properly clickable, can frustrate the customer and in the worst case, they will abandon the ordering process prematurely.
Therefore, you should ask as much of the user as necessary but only ask for the essential information.
DO NOT ADHERE TO THE OBLIGATION TO REGISTER
Since input on the smartphone is tedious, you should refrain from requiring customers to register in in your online shop. It is not an ideal scenario but if you gain the trust of your customer by selling good products, they will come back. However, for the customer to have the possibility of making a purchase, all obstacles should be removed in the ordering process. This means, keeping your layout simple but making sure it is effective.
KEEP ITEMS IN THE SHOPPING CART
Mobile shopping is usually done over the course of a few minutes, hours days or even weeks. A customer is often interrupted and sometimes visits the shop hours or days later. It is annoying for the customer if they laboriously filled shopping cart but return to find that its empty. In the worst case, they are so annoyed that they cancel the order process immediately. For this reason, shopping baskets in mobile online shops should be stored as long as possible.
CONCLUSION: MOBILE OPTIMISATION IS RESPONDING TO THE NEEDS OF USERS
Although Google rewards mobile-optimised online shops with a better ranking, as a shop operator, you should have the needs of mobile users in mind. Because only if they enjoy the experience on your site, can they be guided through to the end goal of purchasing your products.
About the author
Herbert Buchhorn is the CEO of Clicks Online Business (offices in Berlin, Dresden, Cologne, and Munich) and an expert in search engine optimisation (SEO). Since 2007, his online marketing agency has been successfully working for companies from a wide variety of industries throughout Germany and internationally.
He regularly publishes specialist articles on the subject of SEO & e-commerce in various online and print magazines, is an acknowledged speaker at conferences and regularly holds seminars and workshops on the subject of online marketing.