How To Use Ecommerce Platforms For Mobile Commerce: 7 Tactics For Success
Is your ecommerce site currently optimized for mobile? With mobile ecommerce sales accounting for over 8% of retail transactions in 2023 and projected to bring in $510 billion dollars in sales in the United States by the end of the year, having your mobile commerce strategy ironed out is crucial for improving sales and getting more conversion rates.
Mobile commerce or m-commerce refers to how customers prefer to discover, browse, and shop products via their smartphone rather than using a desktop. This consumer shopping preference means mobile shoppers can purchase something at any point of the day, even when running errands or in the middle of their morning commute.
Mobile commerce shopping should feel effortless to avoid roadblocks in decision-making and purchasing. The fewer clicks it takes for mobile shoppers to find their desired product and checkout, the easier it is to convert them into returning customers.
If you are struggling with getting more mobile shoppers to convert, here are some ways to ensure your online business is optimized for mobile commerce.
1. Pick a mobile-friendly ecommerce website builder
Many ecommerce platforms like Shopify and Squarespace feature responsive templates when creating your online store.
Whether you are looking on desktop, tablet, or mobile, the template can streamline and organize elements on the page to suit the viewer’s screen without negatively affecting the customer experience.
Your website should look consistent across all mobile devices regardless if someone is viewing through Android or iOS.
Here’s a look at a responsive template by the popular brand Baggu, known for using recycled materials in their fun and colorful bags and accessories.
Their website template can accommodate all screen sizes, and elements stack on top of each other when viewing on a mobile device.
If you have a website already, use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to see how you stack up against your competitors and their PageSpeed Insights Tool to get a gauge on your mobile speed.
To see how your site appears on multiple devices, you can use a Google Chrome extension like Mobile Simulator or an app and browser testing site like BrowserStack to view before going live.
2. Have a seamless mobile shopping experience for everyone
Having a great mobile shopping experience is key to reducing your mobile cart abandonment rate.
Often when we talk about a great user experience, those qualities can differ from desktop to mobile. When viewing via mobile, lead generation tactics like pop-ups that ask for your email or phone number can feel intrusive when done too quickly or too frequently.
While we may appreciate a quick response from a chatbot when we have a question or concern on desktop, trying to click away from the chat on a smartphone and return to shopping shouldn’t be a frustrating experience.
For a great mobile user experience, focus on providing users with all the necessary information to make a well-informed purchasing decision.
Some easy ways to make the mobile commerce experience better: Feature a high-resolution visual of the product, make the pricing easy to find, and create clear call-to-actions like add to cart easily visible. If the item requires a lot of product education, include a FAQ section or video tutorials on the page.
Offering an easy-to-spot search bar also helps to reduce bouncebacks, users can use this to locate exactly what they are looking for rather than hunting through multiple tabs on your main navigation.
For people with disabilities, making sure your website is WCAG-compliant can also go a long way to improving the mobile experience. Accessibility plugins like UserWay or platforms like Audioeye can help guide you on what changes to your website can help those dealing with a disability.
For example, you can increase color contrasts for those with visual impairment issues, provide captions for video content for those who have trouble with hearing, or create a search bar intuitive enough to understand typos for those with motor issues. This is a great way to attract new customers and practice inclusivity.
3. Use augmented reality to help close the sale
Online retailer Oakley allows visitors to try on their eyewear using augmented reality technology. Users who want to try on a pair of glasses can simply click on the "try on" button before being asked permission to use their camera so the product can be layered over their appearance using AR.
This is a great way for visitors to find glasses that work well with their face shape without the hassle of going into a store and trying them on manually.
4. Offer multiple mobile payment methods
Make the checkout process as easy as possible by offering multiple mobile payment options like Paypal, Venmo, and CashApp in addition to credit cards. Popular digital wallet payment options include Google Pay, Apple Pay, and WeChat Pay, which offer secure ways to pay with your smartphone in a single tap.
If your ecommerce store accepts gift cards, make it easy for those to be redeemed without causing the shopper to abandon their cart.
5. Consider omnichannel customer journeys
Many users now discover new products while scrolling through social media and are easily persuaded by influencers to purchase.
While the point of discovery may be through social media, curious prospects will eventually find their way to your website to learn more about your business. Be ahead of the curve when it comes to the types of products that your customers want to see front and center on your website homepage.
Perhaps you can take advantage of your homepage banner to talk about one of your products that recently went viral on TikTok, feature testimonials by popular influencers, or even include your Instagram grid feed as part of your website layout.
As your website gains prominence and increases its ranking in search, it will also become a great point of discovery. Make it easy for new visitors to find your socials and other online platforms.
6. Build out your SMS subscriber list
To grab the attention of mobile shoppers, build out a sizable SMS list by gaining consent through lead generation forms. Offer an incentive for gaining their phone number. This is a great way to market to consumers who are always on their phones and never miss a text.
SMS marketing tools like Textedly make it easy to send mass texts to your target audience. Discover more mobile marketing software tools to optimize your mobile strategy.
7. Create a mobile commerce app
Mobile app development no longer takes months of coding and troubleshooting. Apps like EasyMobile, Tapcart, and Appmaker make it easy for anyone to create a brand-focused m-commerce app with shopping functionality with their drag-and-drop templates.
Gaining downloads for your app allows you to send out push notifications when a new product arrives or when you are starting a promotion and improve a customer’s purchasing frequency.
Mobilize Your Ecommerce Website for Success
These are all great ways to improve your mobile shopping experience. Adapt to your customer’s shopping preferences by using a responsive template for your website, using AR for customer engagement, and taking advantage of SMS and push notifications.
These simple tactics will make your m-commerce sales skyrocket. Need more advice? Catch up on the latest ecommerce mobile trends for 2023.
And for even more tips and insights to give your ecommerce business an edge, subscribe to The Ecomm Manager newsletter today.