With smartphones making up a huge portion of online commerce, every e-store in the world – if they haven’t already – must tailor their website for mobile users, not to mention for Google as well. When viewing a page on the small screen, a potential shopper who has to pinch and zoom, endlessly scroll left and right, and view page after page just to find what they’re after, you can essentially say goodbye to them ever returning to your site.
When you set up your e-store to begin with, ideally you would have used a package that automatically adapts your site to any sized screen (desktop, tablet, or smartphone), but if you’ve arrived late to the mobile game, fear not, there’s still time to get in on the action and adapt your website. Here’s how you can do it.
Time is money
If someone is using a mobile, it’s likely that they’re pressed for time or on-the- go. That means they want to find what they want as quickly as possible. This is no time for a mobile site to sing and dance, so keep the design simple and bring key information to the fore. Domino’s Pizza, for example, has a mobile site which simply contains the recognizable logo underneath images of pizza, and then features quick menu tabs such as’View Menu’, ‘Find a Store’, ‘Track My Order’, etc. Just give people what they’re after and don’t make them search.
White space
With the screen being smaller, it’s hugely jarring to see so much information all condensed onto the page and essentially fighting for your attention. Make sure any links or videos are spaced a good distance apart, not just to please the eyes, but some people may have large fingers that aren’t able to easily select one thing at a time.
Avoid pop-ups
With loading time on mobiles usually slightly slower than on a desktop, having to navigate between tabs will only add to load time, not to mention increasing the frustration of the user. Remember, hand them things on a silver platter.
Keep typing to a minimum
Users hate having to type-type- type on mobiles, so when there’s an option for them to simply click, let them have it. Online forms with a lot of boxes to fill out will be crushing to a mobile user, and likewise, having to copy and paste is frustrating. A ‘Click to Call’ button is always welcome.
Full site
Your mobile site is the stripped back, simple version of your page, so always make sure you tell the user that a full desktop version is available for viewing as well. Only on the full site is it better to add more info, as well as Flash and Java options.
