It’s safe to say that the age of online shopping is here to stay. With that, there has been a huge shift to shopping on a smartphone. In theory, this should be more convenient for consumers, but a lot of brands are actually falling behind when it comes to the mobile shopper’s experience.
Mobile commerce currently accounts for almost a quarter of all online sales, yet only 35 percent of businesses have taken the time to optimize their mobile website. This means that an overwhelming majority of brands are missing out on mobile consumers because their sites are clunky.
Why You Should Invest in a Responsive Mobile Website
An optimized website has always mattered. However, now your mobile site is just as important to your brand image as your desktop site, logo and advertising campaigns. An astounding 97 percent of mobile consumers will abandon their shopping carts and go to a competitor because of a tedious checkout process or distractions on your site.
As if that wasn’t enough, if you lose a customer because of slow loading speeds, there’s a 43 percent chance that you have lost that person’s business completely. Consumers are not likely to return to a shop that is slow or lagging, especially if there is a competitor that offers the same products with a more optimized website.
In the midst of the digital age, every second counts when it comes to conversions. If you aren’t staying competitive with a sleek, streamlined mobile experience, you’re going to wind up in the back of the pack.
How to Successfully Optimize Your Brand’s Website
According to Google’s Global Performance Solutions vice president Jason Spero, consumers expect three things from brands: Help me faster, know me better and wow me everywhere. That may sound like a tall order, but the truth is that it doesn’t require nearly as much time and effort as you may think.
1. Help Me Faster
Customers are impatient now. They want instant gratification in as many areas of life as possible. To emphasize this point, Google has found that 53 percent of site visits are abandoned if the page takes longer than three seconds to load. They also found that the average mobile site takes about 22 seconds to load, which means that your brand should be focused on optimizing for speed because every second counts.
2. Know Me Better
Personalized pages have been consistently shown to lead to more frequent conversions and higher sales numbers. This means that your brand needs to not only collect demographic data but also know how to use it to your advantage.
The data has shown that 63 percent of people now expect brands to offer personalized shopping experiences every time based on browsing and purchase history. Being able to meet a customer’s needs is no longer enough. Now your brand is also expected to anticipate needs the consumer may not even realize he or she has yet. That is the sign of a well-connected brand.
In addition, the more you can help consumers find what they’re looking for and show them other relevant items, the more likely they are to return to your site over your competitors. Building brand equity like this is invaluable. Nearly 90 percent of smartphone users who describe a brand as “helpful” will not only make repeat purchases, but they will also recommend you to their friends and family.
3. Wow Me Everywhere
Almost two-thirds of consumers expect a consistent brand experience regardless of where or how they are interacting with your business. To achieve this, you need to look at the big picture: social media channels, desktop site, mobile site and physical locations.
Optimization Strategies
One aspect of mobile optimization that can’t be overlooked is SEO. Google has begun to factor in aspects of the mobile experience when displaying search engine results, so it is in your brand’s best interests to take SEO seriously.
A few of the biggest issues that factor into your brand’s ranking include responsive design, a mobile-specific platform, page speed, bounce rate and dynamic content.
Utilizing a mobile usability report can help your design team pinpoint where your mobile site needs the most work. For instance, things like Flash usage, small font size, scaling issues and ad displays all affect your brand’s mobile ranking.
Competitive brands create seamless, predictive mobile experiences with tools like HTML5, mobile-centric platforms and creative but unobtrusive design.
Responsive Mobile Websites Are the Future of e-Commerce
As technology continues to progress, the shift from desktop shopping to smartphone and tablet shopping will continue to increase. In order to stay ahead of the curve, your brand should begin to place a more serious focus on delivering the best, most consistent mobile experience possible. If your mobile website is competitive, your business will undoubtedly see steady growth through smartphone and tablet purchases.
Reach out to ApolloBravo for fully responsive mobile customer engagement campaigns.