Why You NEED a Mobile Friendly eCommerce Store (2024)

Mobile devices are revolutionizing the way we shop. The time is now to make a mobile friendly eCommerce store.

To put it bluntly, a mobile friendly eCommerce store is vital to your success. Shoppers expect a mobile friendly site, and if you don’t have one you run the risk of turning away potential customers.

In this blog, we’re covering the facts that every eCommerce owner should know when it comes to the role of mobile devices in eCommerce; outlining the benefits of a mobile friendly eCommerce store; and giving you actionable advice on how you can make your online store mobile friendly.

Mobile Facts Every eCommerce Owner Should Know

Studies show that over half of all website traffic comes from mobile devices. Drilling down further into mobile usage stats clearly illustrates the importance of making a mobile friendly eCommerce store.

So, without further ado, here are the mobile usage statistics and facts that every eCommerce store owner should be aware of.

1. There are 6.6 billion smartphone users worldwide

This is a %5 – %10 increase each year from 2016. This equals a 52% increase in smartphone users in just five years. That number is only set to increase further.

2. The average American spends more time on their mobile than watching TV

For the average American, time spent using mobile devices is set to overtake time spent watching television in 2024. The average time spent on mobile devices is set to reach 3 hours and 15 minutes per day, while average time spent watching TV sits at 3 hours minutes per day and is decreasing each year.

3. Mobile devices are tools for product research

Mobile devices are invaluable to consumers when it comes to product research. 69% of US consumers say they use their smartphones to look for product reviews. Shoppers trust the word of fellow shoppers, and smartphones give them a convenient way to vet a product before buying.

4. Mobile commerce is on the rise

More shoppers are using them to make purchases directly, they’re no longer just a tool for product research. 79% of smartphone users say they use their device to make purchases through shopping apps or websites.

5. Google favours mobile friendly sites

Google has been using mobile friendly websites as a ranking factor since 2015. This highlights how seriously the internet behemoth takes the rise of mobile.

3 Important Benefits of a Mobile Friendly eCommerce Store

Now we know the stats around mobile usage and eCommerce, let’s take a look at the benefits of making your webstore mobile friendly.

1. Improves user experience

A website with slow loading pages and missing features is no good for anyone, and unfortunately it’s something that mobile shoppers experience all too often. Optimize your website for mobile to improve the user experience and gain more happy customers.

2. Builds faith in your business

Studies show that consumers are less likely to recommend a business if their website is poor quality. Your eCommerce store needs to meet customer expectations. Increased use of mobile devices to shop online means that a website optimized for mobile is high on the priority list. Having a mobile friendly eCommerce store builds faith in your business.

3. Provides better SEO

As mentioned earlier, Google uses mobile friendly-ness as a ranking factor. If your website caters to both desktop and mobile visitors, you’re likely to be favored by the search engine. Want to improve your SEO? Look at optimizing your site for mobile.

How to Make Your eCommerce Store Mobile Friendly

Here are some actionable ways that you can build a mobile friendly eCommerce store, or optimize your existing website.

Avoid pop-ups

Pop-ups should be used sparingly on your website. The smaller screen sizes of mobile devices make pop-ups even more of a bugbear. So, unless they’re 100% essential, avoid using them for the smoothest mobile browsing experience.

Accept a variety of payment methods

The easier you make it to pay, the more sales you will see. Adding the option to pay via PayPal should be the very minimum you offer. Consider accepting other payment methods like Apple Pay, Amazon Pay, or Stripe.

Optimize menu navigation

Optimizing menus for mobile devices is essential for a mobile friendly eCommerce store. Essentials for menus include:

• Make it clear how to open and close the menu.
• Use subcategories within primary categories.
• Highlight the category the user is currently browsing.

Ensure all text is readable

While images are essential to your eCommerce store, text also plays an important part. Product descriptions, FAQs, your About Us page, and contact details are just a few elements where text is hugely important.

Mobile screen sizes are smaller, so text needs to be larger. You should also ensure that all text is a readable colour, and that it doesn’t overlap with any other page elements.

Include a search function

A search feature is a handy function for any mobile store. Search bar best practice includes:

• Giving the search bar the same fixed location across web pages.
• Making the search bar easy to clear.
• Allow users to search for misspelled words.
• Including a search history and search suggestions.

Ensure image and video are optimized for mobile

Along with text, imagery is an important part of any eCommerce website. Your logo and product photos should be front and centre – and they should be optimized for mobile browsing. Giving users the option to play and pause a slideshow, ensuring videos don’t play automatically, and providing image zooming are all essential features.

Consult Google

Google is here to help. They even provide a mobile friendly test. Simply enter your URL into the search bar, and Google will give you their verdict.

The helpful tool tells you whether or not the page is mobile friendly, flags any page loading issues, and can even offer a site-wide mobile usability report. It’s completely free – so there’s really no reason not to use it!

Mobile Optimization: The Trend You Can’t Afford to Miss

The last decade has demonstrated that smartphones are not a passing fad, and the latest stats and figures show that mobile commerce isn’t either. No matter what niche your eCommerce store is in, now is the time to optimize your site for mobile.

Whether you’re building a site from scratch, or optimizing your existing webstore there are lots of actionable steps you can take to make the needed improvements. So what are you waiting for? It’s over to you!