Mobile: Going Beyond Conversions

With so much emphasis on mobile, you could be feeling the strain to prioritize mobile conversion optimization over everything else, especially if you run any e-commerce on your site

There’s a good reason to resist this urge and a better way to optimize your mobile site.

It’s Not All About The Buy

Yes, that’s right.  It’s not all about getting your customers to purchase through your mobile site.  If you think that’s crazy, think about how you make purchases online.  Are you likely to have your credit card number memorized?  Or even have your plastic handy every time?

When developing your mobile optimization strategy, keep in mind that most customers still prefer a more tactile experience when shopping.  Those brand new boots you’re marketing for a client?  Customers still want to try them on no matter how much information the online reviews give them.

It’s About Product Research

Instead of fine-tuning your mobile optimization to get customers to click “Buy,” tune your mobile site to meet the needs of consumers who use their devices when shopping in-store.  This is where the buyer journey begins: using a smartphone to learn more about those boots his friend told him to buy.

Customers use their mobile devices to learn, so offer mobile content that teaches them about your products.  Does your desktop site have a size finder on it?  Your mobile site should too.

It’s About Comparing Prices

Don’t be afraid of the competition.  That’s part of what makes a business successful.  Capitalize on your competitiveness by putting your prices front and center.  You can even go a couple steps further.

Set your site up to allow for product and price comparisons among both your range and similar products from competitors.  Consider Tom Demers’ article on listing search engine competition on a site.  To assume that your customers don’t already know about your competition and aren’t already thinking about them when shopping online is naive.

Take a page from retail giant Amazon and include a barcode scanner on your mobile site.  This will help you leverage those in-store shoppers who want more information and prices without asking someone.  This also capitalizes on the advantages you have over your competition: the customer might be shopping in the competition’s store.  Making it easy for them to learn that your prices are better.

It’s All About Reviews

Don’t forget the customers who have come before; they offer great insight to new customers.  Limiting reviews to your desktop site will only serve to limit what your customers can learn about you and your products.

Your mobile site should also make it easy for customers to submit a review.  Use apps or plug-ins to allow your customers to inform each other.  Just as you made your competition’s prices easily available, make reviews of their products available for comparison as well.

It’s All About Shopping

Shopping isn’t necessarily buying.  When done on a mobile device, it’s akin to window shopping and then going back to revisit that purse you want.  If you optimize for a pure mobile experience that points toward conversions, you’re optimizing for a limited audience.

Broaden your mobile content to include educational material, and in the end, you’ll see conversions rise.

^{* Adapted lead image:  Public Domain, pixabay.com via getstencil.com}