Mobile will completely dominate desktop
The rise and rise of the SmartPhone has been unstoppable. Since the first iPhone launched way back in 2007 there have been over 1,423.9 million units sold throughout the world (Statisa), and today consumers spend a staggering 23 days each and every year on their phones (Mobile Statistics).
However it seems that despite the clear popularity of Smartphones, and consumers’ preference for browsing, buying and researching products and services via their phone, that some businesses are still failing to appreciate just how important this medium is.
So here we take a look at just how consumers are using mobile today and why now is the time for companies of all varieties to take stock of their strategy between the desktop and mobile.
Mobile, the unstoppable force: Where we are today
As of 2014 mobile browsing officially overtook desktop browsing in terms of time spent online (comScore); some 12 months later and Google confirmed that more searches are being undertaken via our phones and tablets than through the traditional PC (Search Engine Land).
However the fact that there’s more time spent browsing via mobile doesn’t quite provide the complete picture, and there’s much more to this story that emphasises the importance of catering for mobile browsers. First, research by Monette shows that there are far lower add-to-cart and conversion rates for mobile consumers, as compared to desktop. This may suggest either that shoppers have a habit of not purchasing via mobile, or that the experiences online aren’t leading them to go ahead and commit to purchase. That said however mobile shopping is a medium that’s experiencing a boom, with US mobile transactions growing by 10% in the last 3 months of 2015 alone (Crate).
So, whilst consumers shift further towards mobile, it appears that many are still decidedly stuck on designing for desktop.
3 tips for a seamless experience – whether your customer is mobile or at the desk
1. First things first: Invest in a responsive website
Websites that adapt, flex and fit to the size of the screen upon which they’re displayed can help you present a super shiny online presence whatever the device is that your viewer is browsing on.
Most pointedly however it’s vital that you pay attention to the elements with which your visitors interact, such as your forms and menu navigation.
As an aside responsive websites are now also a must if you’re not to receive a black mark from the mighty search engine giant that is Google. If you’re uncertain as to whether your site is mobile friendly you can check here, on Google’s mobile website tester.
Once launched, you shouldn’t simply allow your responsive website to represent your business unchecked; install Google Analytics and continually monitor the differences between mobile and desktop users. Pay attention to time spent upon the website, to bounce rates and cart abandonment rates and never stop drilling down into the reasons why such behaviour is being experienced.
2. Make the most of social mobile users
Take the time to learn about the ways in which you can harness social media in terms of your mobile users; for physical stores, this may include encouraging your customers to check-in and share with the world their visit to your store; and for online only businesses this could include discounts or exclusive offers for liking your social media profile, promoted through adverts that target mobile users only (or, similarly, promote content to mobile users only, who are known to be 66% more likely retweet and 39% more likely to engage with Facebook Fan page posts [Unified]).
3. Don’t forget about your mobile target market when emailing
Today 53% of emails are opened on a mobile device (Litmus) and so neglecting to design your emails to respond to these devices is undoing all the hard work that you’ve likely put into crafting the perfect email marketing campaign. Take advantage of platforms such as MailChimp, MailerLite and Bronto, which each provide responsive email templates as standard.
Image source: signupto.com
