8 methods to boost your conversion rate on mobile

Did you know that on average conversion rate on mobile is nearly 3x lower than on desktop computers? A lot of mobile users attempt to complete purchases on their smartphones but they’re forced to switch to their laptops during the process. Check out these 8 methods to address the issue of low conversion rate to make sure that you get the most out of your mobile channels.

Users aren’t reluctant to buy on mobile

Gone are the days when users were unwilling to make purchases on mobile devices due to a small screen size, unreliable touchscreen, and security issues. Smartphone screens have grown to over 5-inch, touchscreens are now extremely responsive (and we all learned how to use them), and the security level on mobile can be as good as on desktop.

With the number of smartphone users growing rapidly, smartphones have become a ubiquitous way to access online content. The number of online activities reserved for desktop diminished. To boost conversion rates on mobile, business owners must now ensure that their e-commerce websites are carefully optimized for smartphones.

1. Simplify forms, use less fields

Longer forms sometimes work better than shorter forms but in terms of mobile devices, you may seriously consider using fewer fields and simplifying the ones used. What works on a desktop computer, may be difficult to complete on mobile. The rule of thumb is to use only the form fields that you really need and users can’t make a purchase without.

2. Make your website lighter and faster (optimize web performance)

There are many factors affecting website loading times on mobile devices, including both hardware capabilities and connectivity level. Don't forget that sluggish loading times may happen even on high-end devices when mobile connectivity is less than optimal.

Making sure that the website is carefully optimized for all circumstances should be a major consideration for all e-commerce sites, for which every millisecond of delay may cost millions in revenues. Optimizing web performance can be done through a number of techniques including adaptive web design, RESS, optimizing images for mobile devices, detecting bandwidth and connectivity level, and offering a basic experience for low-end devices.

All these techniques will help you make sure that your website loads fast on all devices. Download our guide to learn more about optimizing web performance.

3. Change navigation

The space on mobile screens, even on massive phablets, is limited which means that navigation menus must be optimized for mobile. This gave rise to the ubiquitous hamburger menu but surely you can do better than that. A large menu expanding after users tap the hamburger icon, copied from the desktop version of your site, may not help users find what they are looking for.

Bear in mind that users on mobile devices may have different goals than desktop users, so prioritizing navigation items on mobile is particularly important. For many sites it makes sense to simply hide most of the navigation menu options available on the largest screens to make the navigation more useful, work faster, and better fit smaller screens. It is also a viable choice to change the order of the items to highlight menu options which are the most sought-after on mobile.

4. Show less content

Similarly with the navigation menus, it’s a plausible choice to simply show less content on mobile devices. This particularly includes limiting large sections of promoted content that may not necessarily relate to what users are looking for, for example, some Halloween-related items advertised near the end of October.

A good example are images. In some cases, mobile users may not want to download large product images but that doesn’t necessarily mean you should disable them. Large images can be available for download so that the user can decide if their connectivity level is capable of viewing them. More detailed product descriptions may be hidden as well and made available on request to make the initial load time shorter.

5. Utilize mobile-specific features, such as location

Phones have unique features that website owners may use for optimization purposes to make browsing on mobile a better experience. Websites can access location information to display more relevant content that users may be looking for which is particularly important for bricks-and-mortar businesses and locally-available offers. This is also what Google uses in its search results on mobile where users get information on distances calculated using their geolocation information.

6. Optimize calls-to-action

Optimizing conversion rate on mobile can be done through using mobile-optimized CTAs. Mobile users can make a phone call or send a text directly from their devices meaning that a CTA may simply say “Call Now” or “Text Now” including a tap-to-call or tap-to-text link. Obviously, these CTAs aren’t suitable for desktop users.

7. Get rid of elements that aren’t optimized for mobile such as full-screen pop-ups

Pop-ups can bring great results in terms of improving conversion rate on e-commerce sites, especially if they inform about coupons or other discounts. However, displaying pop-ups on mobile devices is a really tough decision due to the fact that pop-ups are likely to obscure all website content and the dismiss link can be difficult to find and tap on the touchscreen.

With server-side detection, you can adjust the experience by selecting the right website components that work and look great on the user device. At the same time, those website elements that won't work or look great may not be loaded at all. It means that you can easily get rid of pop-ups on selected devices to improve the UX.

8. Make sure your website experience is consistent across all platforms

While all these considerations are meant to improve user experience on mobile, you have to make sure that your website is consistent across all platforms. Your mobile users must know that what they access on their phone is the same trusted, secure e-commerce website that they know from other platforms so that they are confident to shop on the mobile channel.

Here's a list of excellent examples of companies that got brand consistency right using adaptive web design, including Maplin, Home Depot, IKEA, and Adidas.