Unless you’ve got an incredible secret method kept under wraps, chances are good that your mobile retail site’s conversion rate is much lower than that of your desktop and tablet. According to Mobify, you’re in the majority if your mobile store experiences a conversion rate that’s less than 1%! Compare that to the industry standard of 2% for tablet users and 3% for desktop, and we’re talking a lot of missed sales. We hear time and again that consumers are either hesitant to make a purchase on their cell phone, or that they are simply in the discovery phase without intent to buy – but UserTesting believes there to be other factors at play.
For starters, the obvious begs to ask: Is your screen Optimized for mobile use? If users need to pinch and pull, zooming in and out to navigate your page, it isn’t likely they’ll exert the effort to browse, fill their shopping cart, and complete a purchase. Conversely, if it is difficult to compare products or not enough product information is given, that initial 65% of users who begin shopping on their smartphones translates into 61% who complete the purchase from a desktop at a later date. And we mentioned the other day how important site speed is to conversion rate when your customers are browsing over the mobile network.
Other issues UserTesting takes with ecommerce sites on mobile:
- Too many companies are striving for functionality and fewer numbers of “taps” to transition visitors into shoppers – those compressed efforts only wind up taking the fun out of online shopping.
- Uncommon terminology in the design navigation also puts the brakes on the buying process when users aren’t easily able to find what they are looking for.
- Confusing or redundant site search can greatly discourage users from continuing their session.
- Using an image carousel or transitioning into the PC version of the site without warning will both impede upon conversions.
- Once consumers go to complete their transaction, they will quickly drop off if it proves too difficult or time consuming to enter in personal information, like billing address and credit card number.
In what ways could your mobile site stand to simplify (and add the fun back into) the shopping experience for recurring and new customers?
