Mobile website visitor penetration is increasing exponentially with the rise of faster chips and features on smartphones and tablets. The two most widely used websites and/or apps by mobile users are social media and ecommerce. Most of leading ecommerce website brands like Amazon, Ebay, Zappos, Best Buy, Nordstrom, Macys and others have a mobile responsive website as well as application for Google Android & Apple iphone iOS mobile platforms. These ecommerce brands push offers and notify potential customers about their deals and products which encourages them to shop on their websites from anywhere they might be.
We have compiled 9 important tips for maximizing mobile ecommerce sales for your website. Selling to your customers will be lot easier and you will notice improved results. Of cource, optimizing your website’s user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) will help tremendously.
TIP 1: The Thumb Rule of Mobile
A mobile interface and design varies a lot from the website. For ecommerce stores the select, customize, pay and deliver experience must be flawless. With less space on mobile screen, a neat design is a must. The thumb rule here is the placement of action buttons closer to the users thumb.
TIP 2: 5 Second Window
The door to your shop remains open on the user screen only if you can display the information they seek precisely and concisely. This is called the 5 second window. Most users decide in a glance if they like to proceed or not. So make sure the first look is killer and inviting for your shoppers.
TIP 3: Navigation and Generic Icons
We touch what we recognize. Icons and navigation are extremely valuable for a shopping application. With just one touch users can go inside and out of the cart, even add items to it with the same. User friendliness is governed by making such things smooth and easy to find.
TIP 4: Layout of your Shop
Users pick on the basis of placements. That is the reason behind companies paying higher for upfront placements of their product. A sale is certain for a well placed product since it catches the attention and appeals more. The arrangement must be revised from time to time and the clutter must be removed immediately for a better shopping experience and more sales.
TIP 5: Faster Filtering and Sorting
A sale is an outcome of a successful choice. Users come and explore the product range and bunch of categories in the shop. A mobile ecommerce sale depends largely on filtering, sorting and finding the desired product. The user expects fast results each time they enter a specification. These are killer tools that users regularly use to narrow down the stuff they
like. The right choice ends with a subsequent purchase.
TIP 6: Minimal Cognitive Load on Product Page
Users shop for fun and benefit of the product. They just look for the right product and need not be bothered by more than the required information. Call to action items and clear product image must be displayed on the product page to minimize the cognitive load. Product page must not be crowded as it interrupts the user’s shopping experience.
TIP 7: Live Status of Shopping Cart
Shopping carts on mobiles are swift in terms of the process. Whenever the user adds any item to the cart, the platform shows they live status of the payment and items in the bag. Make sure you implement this on your application to maximize mobile ecommerce sales. This keeps the items in check and gives an assurance to the customer.
TIP 8: Enable User Control
Once the shopping spree starts there are certain common steps encountered in every purchase. The user control is key here. It is the ability to add, edit and manage the shopping bag. This also makes sure that the offers and coupons can be used by the customer at the time of payment to reap benefits.
TIP 9: Customer Support, Help and FAQ
Last tip but it is the backbone and mantra of all high selling ecommerce platforms. Most regular customers have questions when they shop on the internet. To solve this, a properly trained customer support team must be in place , look at Zappos for example. This will expedite the sales to help customers and avoid any issues they may encounter while shopping on your ecommerce website. A helpdesk and Frequently asked questions (FAQ) should also be available to help users and answer questions they may have.
Deepak Wadhwani has over 20 years experience in software/wireless technologies. He has worked with Fortune 500 companies including Intuit, ESRI, Qualcomm, Sprint, Verizon, Vodafone, Nortel, Microsoft and Oracle in over 60 countries. Deepak has worked on Internet marketing projects in San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange Country, Denver, Nashville, Kansas City, New York, San Francisco and Huntsville. Deepak has been a founder of technology Startups for one of the first Cityguides, yellow pages online and web based enterprise solutions. He is an internet marketing and technology expert & co-founder for a San Diego Internet marketing company.
