Today’s consumers want more than static websites and brochure-like mobile experiences. They want mobile E-Commerce sites with a human element, the ability to search for and discover products using natural language, photos that zoom in for detail, product videos for extended views, and 360-degree images with hotspots. They also want the ability to shop from home, on their commute, at cafes and bars; from their desktop computer or a mobile device—and expect all of these experiences to be personalized based on past purchases, current location, and browsing history.
To compete successfully in today’s fast-paced digital landscape, retailers must focus on creating engaging mobile E-Commerce experiences that go beyond functional checkouts and static mobile websites. Instead, they should think about how they can leverage their mobile presence as an opportunity to build stronger relationships with their customers. The following are some ideas on how you can do this by improving the customer experience in your mobile E-Commerce site:
Make Checkout Easier for Your Customers
Online shoppers are looking for easy and convenient digital shopping experiences. Delaying checkout by forcing them to enter their payment or log-in details before they’ve committed to making a purchase can have a significant negative impact on your mobile E-Commerce sales. You want to foster a smooth checkout experience.
To avoid this, you should try to provide multiple payment options (such as credit cards, gift cards, or store credits) and provide the ability for customers to store their payment details on file for future purchases. You can also make checkout easier by using a single-page checkout form that allows customers to make selections, review their order, and complete the transaction from a single page. This can help reduce the number of clicks required to complete a transaction and improve the user experience by reducing the number of pages that are required to buy products.
Provide Rich Product Discovery Tools
E-commerce customers are looking for a variety of ways to discover products and make informed buying decisions before they actually click “Buy”. This can include filtering and sorting products based on their style, color, finish, size, and price, 360-degree product views, product comparison tools, and the ability to read and leave customer reviews.
During the holiday shopping season, provide shoppers with gift ideas and gift guides curated by your team of experts. You can also let your customers know when certain products are in-demand and on back-order. To facilitate product discovery, you can also try implementing chatbots in your mobile E-Commerce site. Chatbots can help guide customers to the products and information they are looking for and provide answers to commonly asked questions.
Offer Personalized Recommendations
Mobile E-Commerce customers are looking for personalized recommendations based on their past purchases and browsing history. Offer personalized recommendations to let customers know what products you think they would like based on their shopping habits. You can also let your customers know when new products are available and when other customers bought products similar to what they are currently browsing.
These types of personalized and visual recommendations can increase engagement and encourage customers to make additional purchases. They can also help reduce the amount of time customers spend browsing and encourage them to make multiple purchases in a single visit.
Create A Compelling User Experience
Customers are looking for more than just a functional mobile E-Commerce experience—they want to be immersed in your brand and feel a sense of connection with your products and the story behind them. Make your mobile E-Commerce site more engaging by leveraging storytelling techniques, such as letting customers know the history of your brand and products.
If you’re able, try implementing augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR) capabilities in your mobile E-Commerce site. This will help your customers explore products from every angle and learn more about their features and benefits.
Make Your Site Responsive and Mobile-first
Focusing on creating a responsive and mobile-first E-Commerce site is essential. This will help you provide a consistent user experience across all devices, regardless of whether a customer is shopping from a desktop computer or a mobile device.
To create the best possible mobile E-Commerce experience, make sure you follow the following best practices:
- Get to know your target customers - What kind of devices do they use? What are their demographics? What is their geographical makeup? Run surveys, conduct focus groups, and conduct exploratory research to learn more about your customers and mobile device usage.
- Keep your site fast and lightweight - Mobile devices have limited bandwidth and processing power. To make sure your mobile E-Commerce site loads quickly, use lightweight images and have no hidden JavaScript.
- Prioritize your content for mobile devices - Make sure your mobile E-Commerce site has primary navigation at the top of the page and secondary navigation towards the bottom.
- Keep your content simple and focused - Your mobile E-Commerce site should have a clear and concise message and provide easy access to products and pricing.
Creating websites that are optimized for mobile shopping experiences is essential to maximizing mobile E-Commerce revenues. To do this, you need to optimize your mobile E-Commerce site to make the experience more personalized and engaging. Online shoppers want the ability to browse products, make purchases, and learn more about the brand without stress or frustration. By doing this, you can help provide everything they’re looking for and encourage them to convert on your site.
Consult with Mobile E-Commerce Experts to Improve Your User Experience
Data suggests that more customers are shopping on their mobile devices compared to a couple of years ago. This is not a fad, but a trend that will continue to grow as more and more people adopt smartphones as their primary device.
In order to succeed in this new landscape, brands must ensure their mobile E-Commerce sites are optimized for these devices. This includes providing a positive user experience. At KitelyTech, we help build engaging and mobile-first E-Commerce sites. We can also help you optimize and improve your existing site. Call us at (800) 274-2908 to get started.
