Mobile eCommerce is the new normal, especially in the U.S. where everyone has a mobile device available to them at all times. At ParadoxLabs it's our responsibility to help eCommerce businesses succeed (that's actually our mission statement), and we’ve been emphasizing the importance of mobile responsiveness to our customers for years. Now, with more than half of all internet traffic shopping from a mobile device, it is extremely important to make sure your website is primed for mobile viewing and conversion. Mobile design, and especially mobile-first buying must be at the forefront.
Mobile eCommerce Continues to Grow
Not only are significantly more users accessing the web from a tablet or smartphone than a desktop, they are doing so with more eCommerce intent than ever before. During last year's busy holiday shopping season, a third of all online purchases came from smartphone users. According to Adobe Analytics, not even Black Friday, with $6.2 billion in online revenue in 2018, was immune to mobile eCommerce fever. Adobe reported that approximately 40% of sales on the traditionally brick and mortar shopping day came via a mobile device. Furthermore, Cyber Monday '18 saw more gains from mobile devices, accounting for 54% of the $7.9 billion in online revenue.
Statistics Reflect Change
The fact is, it's now statistically much more likely that eCommerce customers will be interacting with your website from a smartphone or tablet than a desktop. According to Adobe:
- 77% of American's own a smartphone
- Over 230 million U.S. consumers own smartphones
- Around 100 million U.S. consumers own tablets
- 79% of smartphone users have made a purchase
online using their mobile device in the last 6 months - Almost 40% of all eCommerce purchases during the
2018 holiday season were made on a smartphone. - eCommerce dollars now comprise 10% of ALL retail
revenue - 80% of shoppers used a mobile phone inside of a
physical store to either look up product reviews, compare prices or find
alternative store locations - An estimated 10 billion mobile connected devices
are currently in use
Knowledge is Power
Armed with this knowledge, it's your responsibility to create a shopping experience that appeals to your customers. Mobile shoppers are picky, and rightfully so. With the highly competitive nature of the eCommerce industry, your customers will not hesitate to buy from your competitors if even the slightest headache arises.
How Can You Ensure You Are Mobile eCommerce Friendly?
- Be deliberate about your menu/navigation and how it will work on mobile - customers need to be able to find what they're looking for easily
- Prominently feature site search, and focus on making the search results page mobile- and user-friendly
- Choose 1 or 2 column layouts for product category pages
- Product pages must by clean and intuitive
- Prominently place “Buy Now” and “Add to Cart” buttons
- The shopping cart button should be visible at all times, especially if there are products in the cart
- Use page curl notifications for recommended products (instead of pop-ups) for personalizing mobile experiences
- Streamline your checkout as much as possible to eliminate friction
- Prioritize convenience by enabling checkout entry through payment gateways and social profiles
- Provide mobile-first payment options like purchase buttons via Amazon Pay, PayPal, etc. within product pages to bypass traditional checkouts
- Optimize for mobile and desktop separately by testing layouts, creative, offers, and onsite funnels by device
That’s A Wrap
Ignoring these trends in eCommerce evolution means missing out on more and more profit. Mobile user interfaces are improving, and users are getting more accustomed to them.
Ultimately, customers decide where they buy, and more and more they're doing so on mobile, with no sign of slowing. If you don't adapt your site to your customer's needs your customer will find someone else that will.