Move with the times - be ready to make those sales mobile

Even your customers aren’t moving as quickly as the technology. Because while more and more people are browsing online and looking for information, not as many are actually making purchases.

This may be because of small screen sizes or a perception that the functionality just isn’t there yet, but it’s only a matter of time until more and more people embrace buying on the go.

And if you’re not ahead of the curve, you’ll miss out.

So now is the time to solidify your mobile commerce strategy. And it’s easier than you think to make mobile simple for your customers. Plus, stealing a march on the competition means you’ll become the go to business in your market place.

First up, you’ve got a mobile site, right? One that’s optimised and responsive for browsing on the move?

If so, you’re good to go - check out our top tips to boost your mobile conversion rates by streamlining your mobile commerce functionality:

The Faster the Better.

When you’re up against unreliable mobile signals, it’s even more important to ensure your pages are quick to download. You know what it’s like when your signal drops out – how much more frustrating is it at the crucial moment of purchase?? Now you’re getting an idea of how critical it is to make your mobile site fast – and do it quick!

Streamline Navigation.

Think about your user’s journey to purchase and take them there as quickly as you can. Think of layers of navigation as barriers to purchase – the more there are, the more reasons not to buy!

Make filling out forms fast.

Keep it to an absolute minimum. Yes, you’d like to collect as much information as you can, but not at the expense of losing customers. Filling out a form on a small screen is tricky, so make fields large and clickable – and your customers will also thank you for keeping these as few as possible. Use shortcuts like a postcode look up tool or assume delivery and billing addresses are the same.

Will that be all?

Offering to take mobile buyers direct to the checkout can be a bonus. They’re most likely making a single impulse purchase, so giving them the option of checking out by automatically loading their shopping cart may seal the deal. Check your analytics to get an idea of average mobile orders and change your mobile options accordingly. 

Make the buttons bigger.

Bigger buttons have many benefits: they’re easy to see and easier to click. Leave lots of white space around them to minimise the chance of accidental clicks.

Make searching easy.                   

Take shoppers who know what they’re looking for straight to what they’re looking for with a prominent and effective search tool. If you can keep it in the same place on every page and incorporate a predictive text function, even better.

Don’t make them register.

Registering from a desktop device can put people off making a purchase. Asking them to do that (see filling out lengthy forms above) on a mobile device is even more of a no-no.  You can still ask for an email address, maybe even ask them to create a password for security - but the mere mention of the ‘R’ word has been known to ruin a good sale. 

Easy money.

Make paying as quick and easy as you can is better for your bottom line. Look at alterative payment options like PayPal or offer to save their details for next time... when the transaction will be even smoother!

Help them make the call.

Google have found that over 60% of local business searches result in a phone call. So make sure your phone number is prominent or if you can, put in a ‘click-to-call’ widget so your customers can call at the touch of a button. 

Let them Come and Get it.

Mobile Searchers are more likely to be looking for something in their area. So... if you can allow users to check stock information and reserve an item until they get there, they’re much more likely to come your way. If you can deliver, so much the better.

Let them see the big picture.

Let’s face it, mobile screens are small. So make sure your images are optimised for shoppers to get the best view for making a buying decision then and there.

Make no mistake, mobile commerce is coming your way – how could your bottom line benefit from being where your customers are, when they need you?