The biggest trend in e-commerce is happening on little screens. Mobile conversions are huge right now — probably bigger than you think.
In his typical terse style, Jeremy Smith declared, “traditional conversion optimization just died.” Why? Because, “mobile devices are central to online shopping.”
If you’ve been neglecting mobile conversion optimization, it’s time to hone in on a few facts, and get with the game.
1. You can’t afford to neglect it.
Comscore reports that mobile e-commerce grew by 47% in 2014, but traditional e-commerce grew by only 10%. What do these numbers mean?
Quite simply, they mean that the growth of mobile commerce is outpacing traditional e-commerce. A third of all online sales come from mobile devices.
Mobile users convert. The question is, are you assisting your mobile users or rejecting them?
2. Mobile optimized sites are the only way to win mobile conversions.
According to Internet Retailer, mobile shoppers convert 160% more often on sites optimized for smartphones.
That shouldn’t be surprising. Since Google favors mobile-optimized sites in the search results, mobile users are more likely to see the optimized sites, click these sites, and convert on these sites.
When a user faces a non-optimized site, the entire experience is one of frustration. By contrast, when the user is on a mobile-optimized site, it’s way easier to convert.
But what is a mobile optimized site? Simple: A mobile optimized site is a responsive one. Google recommends that sites be designed responsively, using CSS to adjust rendering on specific devices. If you think an app is a good idea, think again. Mobile users would rather get information on a mobile website then download and interact with an app.
3. Mobile users are picky.
Mobile visitors have a low tolerance for poor mobile experiences. If your mobile site loads slow, 43% of your users won’t try to come back. A full 40% of them will go to a competitor’s site instead, according to data from e-commercefacts.com.
Today’s mobile users have high expectations. The site should load quickly, look great, be easy to navigate, and create an overall satisfying experience. Only then will they be ready to convert.
4. Mobile users don’t like to fill out forms.
What conversion action do you want from your mobile users? Whatever you choose, you should probably stay away from forms.
Why? Generally speaking, mobile users don’t like to fill out forms. Since mobile users are looking for quick answers to easy questions, their likelihood of filling out a form of more than three fields is slim to none.
According to the Director of Strategy at Three Deep, every added form field (beyond three) slashes mobile conversion by 50%. What should you do? Either simplify your forms or die...or leave forms well enough alone.
5. Mobile users do want to call you.
If forms are a no-no, then what’s a good conversion action for a mobile user? A phone call.
A third of mobile users are looking specifically for contact information, including a phone number, map, or directions (data from xRd and Telmetrics). 61% of users consider click to call functionality as the most important aspect of their online mobile experience. Those click to call buttons are extremely useful, especially when you consider that 70% of mobile searchers have used the call button and are likely to do so again.
If you’re a brick and mortar business looking for leads, foot traffic, orders, or customers, in general, the click to call button is your friend.
6. Select your CTA with care.
CTAs on mobile devices should be different from the CTAs for desktop users. There’s a reason that a user chooses to use a mobile device over a desktop. Your task as a marketer is to understand that reason, and deliver a call to action that is appropriate to the user’s context.
Let me explain. Let’s say you run a sandwich shop. If a user accesses your mobile site, then she may be trying to find your shop’s location. If the user accesses your desktop site, then she may be looking for your menu. Device-segmented data will tell the whole story, but it’s up to you to develop a CTA that is most relevant to the user’s intent.
Conclusion
One of the most valuable things that you can do to learn about mobile conversion optimization is to look at your site’s data.
Within a few minutes of segmenting your traffic and peeling back layers of behavior, you will begin to gain surprising insights into how your customers interact with your mobile site, what they’re interested in, and what they end up doing.
We’re quickly approaching a point where mobile conversions will overtake desktop conversions. If you insist on remaining in the past, then your revenue and conversion rates will remain low. If, on the other hand, you focus on your mobile experience, conversion rates will follow.
What insights have you gained about mobile conversions?
