Introduction:
Today it's a wonder how many people have adopted the digital era and how mobile devices have become such an important and integral part of our lives. A lot more people than ever before are now adapting to and adopting mobile devices of various types, be it smartphones, tabs, ipads, notepads and more. This makes it crucial for e-commerce platforms to have an e-commerce app or a mobile-friendly e-commerce website.
To many, having such a website may seem like a trend but to a business owner, it is now a necessity with maximum e-commerce sales and purchases happening through mobile devices. Whether it's a business owner starting with eCommerce or a seasoned professional, the necessity of having a mobile-friendly ecommerce website cannot be undermined.
Things to Consider for Developing E-commerce Website
Choosing a responsive design:
Very simply put, a responsive design is a design that is built from the ground up to respond and/or to be flexible in a certain way. In the case of a mobile-friendly e-commerce website, a responsive design means an e-commerce website that looks the same on the desktop and a mobile device. It is a design concept that allows your website to automatically adjust its layout, design and structure to offer full e-commerce functionality and an excellent experience on a mobile device, by utilizing fluid grids, CSS, flexible images, CDN and more.
For Businesses starting in the eCommerce world, a mobile-first approach is highly recommended. This approach of web design is primarily focused on mobile devices and desktops and other machines become second nature. By doing this, businesses can tap into the 80+% of shoppers who use mobile devices for online shopping.
Simplicity, clarity and convenience are also very important when thinking of a responsive design for a mobile-friendly e-commerce website as these elements would offer potential customers a clean and uncluttered experience and would keep them coming back for more.
Optimizing Website Speed:
Now here is a topic of huge importance and an easy decision. In today’s world, when shopping for something online, would you want to wait and wait for a website to load up for you to be able to find a product of your choice to buy? Would you be patient enough to give 2-3 minutes for every product detail page to load and then wait even longer for a product review to open up? No right? You would probably go to another website and complete your purchase, after all, no one has time to wait. This is so true in the mobile e-commerce world too!
In today’s 5G era and with a plethora of options available no one has the time to wait for websites to load and for products to become visible. Certain apps and extensions would automatically move your potential customers to another site if yours is taking time to load. Thus optimizing your mobile e-commerce website for speed is exceedingly important. Here are some of the points that should be remembered when optimizing your platform:
Usage of a mobile-first concept.
Using CDN’s
Minification of code
Use of good hardware on the server that hosts the mobile e-commerce website
Efficient caching
Image and video optimization.
Minimal third-party scripts
Usage of AMPs (Accelerated mobile pages) and Compression techniques
Minimal or if possible NO Redirects and
Last but not least, a continual performance monitoring and improvement strategy
Simplifying Navigation
When looking at a mobile screen, that too is a much smaller screen than your normal laptops and desktops you need to think of clean, concise and simple navigation when planning out your mobile-friendly ecommerce website. Too much clutter, bars, pop-ups, adverts and an inability to find a product is simply going to turn off and turn away your potential customer forever. After all, it is well said that the first impression is also the last impression. When thinking of making life easy for online shoppers using a mobile device it is imperative to add functions to make life easy for them. Things like a nice, clean and to-the-point mobile e-commerce platform with a simple hamburger menu, a search bar, an always visible cart icon, a simple and secure payment interface and a brilliant breadcrumb system are a huge asset to an e-commerce seller thinking of a mobile-friendly e-commerce website.
Optimizing Content
In addition to a simple and easy to use navigation, it is also very important for you as an e-commerce seller to ensure that your mobile-friendly eCommerce website is optimized for the best performance and that the content and products used on the site are accessible to all, look good, can grab the attention of a buyer and are non-deviating in nature. Add to that, your website needs to be simple but engaging. It is often noticed that to simplify the site, webmasters and site owners end up destroying the original purpose and customer engagement capabilities of their site.
Here are a few points that should be kept in mind when looking at a mobile friendly e-commerce website:
Breadcrumbs.
Simple but functional and attractive store.
A hamburger menu with clear and limited options.
Priority display of important information.
Flexible display to adjust to all display sizes.
Easy data entry if the same is required
Social media integration
Auto adjustment to the local language based on the area
Availability and display of reviews and consumer feedback
A comparison option between products
Usage of Minifications, CSS, CDN, AMP’s and more.
Implementing Mobile-Friendly Payment Options
Having a great mobile friendly e-commerce website is not of much use unless and until you implement some mobile-friendly and secure payment options for checkout. Having a fast, simple safe and secure payment system on your mobile e-commerce website is key to creating a seamless and consistent checkout experience and just the ease of paying for the purchase can keep a customer coming back for more. Key options can include multiple easy to use payment gateways, mobile wallets and UPIs, one click checkouts, guest payment options, HTTPS integration, SSL certification, Compliance with global security standards like PCI DSS and more.
Testing & Conclusion:
In conclusion, creating a mobile-friendly eCommerce website is no longer an option but a necessity in today's digital landscape. With the increasing use of smartphones and mobile devices for online shopping, businesses must prioritize optimizing their websites for mobile users.
Just developing and implementing a mobile friendly e-commerce website is not enough. You need to remember to test, modify, implement, learn and test again. This is an ongoing process to ensure that a visitor who could be a future customer does not have any issues that could cause him to leave the site or bad-mouth it. Every feature of your mobile website needs to be tested and retested multiple times before and even after implementation and launch. A/B testing, load testing, checkout testing, payment option testing, user reviews and performance testing are just a few of the things that have to be monitored daily for continual performance improvement.
By following the above-mentioned guidelines and implementing best practices, you can develop a mobile-friendly eCommerce website that meets the needs and expectations of your mobile users. Embracing mobile optimization enhances user experience and opens up new opportunities for your business to thrive in the mobile-first era of eCommerce, keeping your customers coming back for more, and more and more…