Current research shows that by 2016, over half of the Internet’s traffic will come from smartphones and tablets. It’s no surprise that e-commerce sales are following the rapid transition presented by increased mobile Internet use. As mobile devices become the most dominant user-base on the Internet, these sales numbers will also continue to increase each year.
Visits to retail websites from mobile devices have overtaken desktop traffic for the first time ever.
- Statistics show 52% of visits made via a mobile, while 36% of UK online sales are now completed on a smartphone or tablet
- More than half of visits to online shopping websites were made via mobile device
- Research revealed 36 per cent of sales were completed on mobile phone or tablet
According to these growth projections and those of other leading analysts, mobile devices will become the primary way people make online purchases in the not-so-distant future.
With projections indicating such a huge increase of purchases using mobile devices, mobile support, website responsiveness and targeted marketing has become one of the highest priorities for today’s leading online businesses.
Let us assume, your website is very functional and easy to navigate on desktop and you are getting some good response from customers. Yet, it is unlikely to work well on small-screen mobile devices. If your visitors are unable to navigate through the website or can’t read your content at all because of incompatibility to device, they’re likely to switch to some other website pretty quickly.
For any business, big or small, it is must to have an efficient and well-designed mobile solution ready for consumers. As smartphone and tablet use continue to grow, businesses without mobile-optimized websites are at risk of losing out on potential sales. A bad mobile experience can cost you customers; on the other hand Mobile optimisation can increase sales, generate more traffic, enhance customer engagement and give you an edge over your competitor. Data shows, mobile users have very little tolerance for difficult mobile sites with 57% leaving after 3 seconds!
If your website is optimised for mobile devices, you would be able to cater the ever growing mobile users. It can be done by changing the website design into responsive website design. This includes easy-to-navigate menus and click links, mobile responsive display, and easy-to-reach contact information. Mobile users are much more likely to involve with and purchase from a brand which offers an engaging mobile experience.
Now you know how important it is to have a mobile friendly website, it’s time to do some reality check. Get your tablet or smart phone and visit your website. Find out whether your website is optimised for mobile by answering these questions:
- How does it look on a tablet/smartphone device?
- Is it easy to browse and navigate around?
- Can you find the products you need and buy them easily?
- Is the content easy to read?
- Can you find menus, pages and contact details?
- Are you overall satisfied with your user experience?
- Would you go on this website again if it wasn’t your own?
If you mostly answered “no”, then it’s high time to get your site mobile optimised. Keep up with what the customer demands, and don’t miss out on the traffic, sales and status you could achieve.
If you don’t know where to start, give us a call on 01772 508117 for free consultation.