Get Shoppers to Stop Browsing and Buy on Mobile

On Cyber Monday this year, mobile shopping very nearly surpassed desktop shopping.

Mobile traffic set a new record at 47.4% of site visits, however, it only accounted for 33.1% of overall online revenue, according to Adobe.

This means that while mobile shopping and browsing rates were impressive compared to previous years, mobile buying still lags behind. More and more ecommerce shoppers are looking on mobile, yet many of them still make the final purchase on a desktop.

Why is this still such a tough issue for ecommerce? It’s likely because very few brands offer a great mobile shopping experience. Whether you have an app or a mobile site, it’s often harder for consumers to compare prices, find the right products, or input credit card information on a smartphone.

But it doesn’t have to be. The brands that provide a fantastic mobile experience actually see higher revenue, faster time to purchase, and higher overall customer lifetime value (CLTV).

Learn more about CLTV

How is your ecommerce brand thinking about mobile shopping? Here are a few tips on getting shoppers to not just browse, but actually convert and buy from your ecommerce brand on their smartphones.

Advertise on mobile-first channels

The best way to convert mobile shoppers is to first reach them where they spend time. If you’re bringing in more mobile traffic to your site, you’ll also have a higher chance of converting it when it arrives. Instagram, for example, is a great channel for reaching mobile shoppers via a combination of paid ads, stories, and influencer marketing. If you have a great mobile campaign that allows buyers to actually “Shop Now”, you can turn an impulse click into an impulse buy.

This ad from The Office of Angela Scott is a great example because it fits in with the style of a typical fashion post on Instagram, blending in with the organic content on the social platform. It also takes advantage of the Instagram carousel to showcase multiple products and encourage browsing. If this ad catches someone’s eye, it’s super easy for the buyer to click through to your ecommerce site directly.

Have a fantastic mobile site

Once a mobile visitor arrives on your website via their smartphone, your mobile website better look absolutely perfect. It almost goes without saying that your website should be mobile responsive. But mobile responsive isn’t always enough. Today, buyers expect your site to be easy to browse through and easy to add products to the cart.

This example from EHChocolatier is great because it shows a simple, clean mobile site that’s easy to navigate. The site follows the accepted user experience principles of mobile. With the so-called “hamburger” navigation on the top left and the shopping cart icon on the top right, no buyer will have a hard time navigating and purchasing on this site.

Sign in for a better experience

Many online stores offer a better mobile shopping experience if you sign up for an account with the brand. Signing in allows your buyers to save their favorite products for later, making it far simpler to come back later and buy the exact products they want on mobile. Even better, it allows you as a B2C marketer to engage buyers through email, since they have to sign up for an account with their email address. If a buyer abandons an item after favoriting it, you can then remind them to come back and buy — nurturing them to a purchase.

This is a great example because it not only saves the product for the buyer, but also alerts them to future sales and special offers. This is useful because a mobile shopper doesn’t have to search your site again for the items they liked. Instead, they have a saved list of every product they like and can decide between the options what they’d most like to buy easily on their mobile device.

Explore an app

Some brands opt to build a mobile app that lets their most loyal customers buy even more easily. In addition to an account, a branded app often has even better functionality than a traditional mobile site, allowing buyers to save their favorite products, get custom recommendations, and rack up brand rewards.

The Spring app is a great example of an ecommerce marketplace app that allows you to shop multiple brands easily. The functionality is all completely personalized to the buyer and gets better and better recommendations over time as you buy more. Ecommerce brands can learn a lot about creating a great mobile experience from this marketplace.

Make checkout easy and fast

All too often, the checkout process is where ecommerce sites lose buyers. Mobile payment can be incredibly annoying if you have to fill out 30 fields on your smartphone, typing on tiny buttons on a small screen. That’s why so many people love Amazon’s 1-Click purchase feature: it’s easy to buy products on the go. All you have to do is click one button, and the product you want is on the way to your house.

If you’re trying to compete with Amazon, you have to have at least a similar functionality on your site. Luckily, the patent on the 1-Click purchase expired this year, so you can, in fact, add it to your own site. Especially for loyal customers, you should allow them to log in, save their payment information, and purchase with minimal effort. Every barrier to purchase you remove, the higher the likelihood of a purchase.

With the right mobile strategy, your ecommerce brand can not only bring in online shoppers looking to browse your products but can also convert them to new customers. By creating a great mobile shopping experience, you can actually increase the revenue your ecommerce brand brings in through mobile channels.