With most people already gone mobile to do practically everything, small businesses that sell their products online know for a fact they have to follow. Yet, as simple and clear as this is for many, there still are a lot of questions about how to do it. How can your business make the jump from the customers’ desktops to their pockets? It’s not a matter of trial and error nor it’s easy but it isn’t impossible either. Tips on how to do it abound in the Web. But they aren’t as essential as the ones below.
Simplicity – the ultimate sophistication
Da Vinci got it right when he said so. And it’s incredible that such thought could be applied to mobile e-commerce and work so well. Simplicity is everything in mobile, so you have to maximize your creativity to tell more using less to fit those small screens. Have a simple design and use more photos to tell your story and showcase your products.
Don’t make us look for our glasses
Everything on your mobile site has to be as clear and readable as humanly possible. No one likes to be pinching and zooming to read about your products. Use a simple typography and make it large enough for anyone to read it clearly. Also, keeping your site de-cluttered will help here, so the first tip still stands.
Take the fast lane
We all hate loading times. They keep us from procrastinating more efficiently. That’s why we avoid sluggish sites like the plague. And that’s why your site should always keep loading times on its enemies list. Compress the photos, use less plugins and simplify the whole structure if you need to – but don’t let your loading time go up!
Filter it up, baby!
One of the key things you don’t have to forget when mobilizing your e-commerce is a good filtering system. Don’t get rid of it in an attempt to simplify your mobile site – filters are the building blocks of a great e-commerce platform! Make sure you include the basics – sort by price, rating and categories.
A tap to shop
Streamlining your whole buying process is another must-do for any mobile commerce. Having too many steps is already boring and tedious on desktop. On mobile, it’s absolutely hideous. Just keep the steps you need and throw the others to the trash. Sign up, pick your product and pay. (We know, it’s another fancy way to say “Keep it simple” but it’s worth mentioning).
The In-your-face cart
On mobile, even the tiniest of details can make you lose a customer. Take the Add to cart button as the prime example. If your potential customer can find it at a glance when deciding to buy something, then you’re doing it wrong – and that person went from potential customer to missing in action like that. The In-your-face approach will work wonders here – always make the button visible and available, no matter what part of the product page you’re in.
Make yourself visible
When dealing with such little space, it’s easy to leave out a lot of important information in favor of one more image or one more promotion. One thing you shouldn’t leave out, though, it’s yourself. It’s not just about your logo appearing here and there – it’s also the reassurance that you’re there for your customers. In other words, make your help channels visible, especially during the purchase process. Include your phone number, context sensitive information or just a link to a FAQ – but always remind people that you’re there.
Be sure to reassure
Finally, and as with the help, you should always make your guarantees visible. Customers want to know who they are trusting with their data. So, always include trust certifications and logos of the technologies you use to keep all the financial and personal data safe. It might seem like a little detail – it certainly isn’t.
All of these tips appear as so simple and easy that you might be tempted to think that they don’t make a difference. Don’t fall for that. Details have all the keys to life, especially when it comes as something so competitive as mobile commerce. So, you’d better check them out when building your mobile site!
