If it seems like a self-evident truth to say that mobile shoppers are increasing in number, we here at RepricerExpress are saying that too many merchants don’t understand this. We’ve seen countless cases where sellers are ignoring a huge and growing demographic and with Google recently announced a mobile-friendly ranking algorithm that would have a significant impact on the mobile search results, sellers can no longer ignore this demographic. To help you out, we’ve compiled 7 tips for targeting mobile only customers — a pool of buyers that gets bigger every year.
1. Keep Information Easy to Follow
It’s simple: write clearly and in an easy-to-follow way, and you’ll have a better chance at keeping buyers on your site instead of sending them to a competitor’s. Don’t get overly fancy or use ‘fluff’ adjectives (words that do nothing else but take up space). Start with the most important points and work down from there. And make everything as SEO-friendly as possible. Don’t do this, and more than half of buyers will probably skip a second visit to your page.
2. Make Things Mobile-Friendly
Everyone who’s surfed the Web on a smartphone has encountered at least one site where things weren’t configured for the smaller screen. If you can, have all your sentences read so all users have to do is scroll down. If they have to pinch-and-zoom or swipe left or right, you’ll likely lose them to sites that just go up and down.
3. But Don’t Make the Mobile Version a Carbon Copy of the Desktop Site
It’s tempting to think you have to have both the desktop and mobile version the same, with the latter just a miniaturised copy of the former. This rule has long been thrown out the window, as the important thing is to focus on retaining the essence of your site. What both have in common is you, but look at them as fraternal twins instead of identical twins: mobile sites have their own distinct personalities and need to be treated as individuals.
4. Understand the Capabilities of Mobile Sites
It’s true that mobile sites can’t do hugely fancy things like have detailed image carousels or hover-over drop-down lists. But expecting them to is like asking a fish to climb a tree: you’re trying to match the animal with the wrong skill set. Instead, recognise mobile sites’ biggest strength, which is to get tasks done. Tailor your approach by using short, simple menus that give users instant results for tapping on an icon or word.
5. Cookies are Finally Good and Useful
Somehow, cookies have acquired a reputation as being Big Brother-ish and slightly creepy, but not if you view them through a different prism. Cookies are awesome at personalising profiles for users, making the shopping process easier and simpler every time. The best way to do this is to get hold of an app that works well with your site, and use cookies that incentivise users to stay logged in.
6. Make the App the First Choice
’App’ and ‘mobile use’ are so synonymous, they make spaghetti and meatballs look miles apart. It’s almost impossible to think of one without the other, so use that to your advantage! Yelp is a great example where, if you open the site on your smartphone, it asks you if you want to continue viewing data using the app by bolding that option…or stay on the mobile site with a plain-text option.
7. Remember, Speed is One of Your Top Priorities
How fast your mobile site loads is often a difference maker (or breaker). Remember those awful early days of dial-up? If you’ve managed to not suppress that memory, then you know just how mind-numbingly slow surfing was. And if you can do anything to avoid even a shade of those days, then do so. Google everything you need to about speeding up the loading times on your mobile sites (without resorting to text-only) and put it in action.
There’s a definite difference between optimising your site to buyers who also use mobile sites as opposed to users who opt for mobile-only shopping. It takes a specific approach to make in targeting mobile shoppers, but following these 7 tips will help get you there. An honorary eighth tip is to use RepricerExpress so you can price your items competitively. Instead of waiting another day, sign up now and get started with your 15-day free trial.
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