8 Key Improvements to Make Your E-commerce Site More Mobile-Friendly

A growing number of consumers now prefer to shop online using their mobile devices due to the convenience and speed typically expected of the mobile experience. To effectively cater to these buyers, your small- or medium-sized enterprise (SME) or startup should do more than open up shop online. It should also be among your priorities to improve your current e-commerce website’s mobile friendliness.

If customers know that they can look forward to a seamless and hassle-free mobile shopping experience on your online sales channel, they’re more likely to come back to your site and perhaps even choose it over a competitor’s. To that end, here are some specific improvements that you can carry out to provide potential mobile buyers with a shopping journey that’s as smooth as buying in person or using their laptops to order their favorite items:

1. Responsive Design

   If you haven’t done so yet, implement a responsive design to transform your e-commerce site into a mobile-friendly shopping portal for customers. This approach allows your website to dynamically adjust its layout based on the user’s device, delivering an optimal viewing and interactive experience.

   Test your responsive design thoroughly to guarantee that your images resize appropriately, your text remains legible, and your navigation adapts seamlessly whenever your e-commerce site is opened using a smartphone or tablet. Doing all these allows you to create a consistent shopping experience for users across a diverse range of devices.

2. Streamlined Checkout Process

   It’s also important for you to revamp your checkout process to better cater to the needs of mobile users. Aim to offer a checkout process that’s designed for simplicity and efficiency, knowing that you want your mobile customers to remember you for those qualities.

   Your choice of payment gateway impacts how easily users can complete their transactions on your online store. It makes sense, then, to integrate a payment gateway Philippines’ businesses trust, such as Maya Business’s Maya Checkout, into your e-commerce website. It’s the best payment gateway you can use, as it accepts a wide range of digital payment options—including debit and credit cards and digital wallets. Plus, Maya Checkout can be easily plugged into websites that rely on Shopify and WooCommerce.

   On top of using the best payment gateway Philippines’ e-commerce entrepreneurs can access, consider adding a progress indicator for your checkout experience as well. This will keep users informed about their journey through the checkout and exactly how many steps they need to take before they complete their purchase. They will appreciate the clarity and your efforts to properly set their expectations.

   In addition, try implementing a one-page checkout or a step-by-step process with minimal form fields to further reduce friction at checkout. Enable guest checkout options, too, and provide the ability to save user information for future purchases. Streamlining the checkout process through these methods will allow you to reduce cart abandonment rates and create a more enjoyable and hassle-free experience for your mobile shoppers.

3. Mobile-Optimized Navigation

   It’s also a good idea to simplify and streamline navigation on your e-commerce website for your mobile users. Adopting a mobile-optimized menu structure will go a long way in achieving this particular goal.

   Consider using a hamburger menu to save screen space and provide an uncluttered look. Likewise, you can employ a clean, concise design with easily tappable buttons as essential navigation elements.

   Also incorporate a prominent search bar that allows users to quickly find products from their phones. For inspiration, explore successful e-commerce sites known for their intuitive mobile navigation. These can serve as models for ensuring that users can effortlessly explore your product offerings with minimal hassle on their part.

4. Fast Loading Speeds

   Every second counts, especially for shoppers who are used to instantly perusing their options on their mobile phones. To speed up your e-commerce website’s performance on mobile devices, optimize it by compressing images, leveraging browser caching, and minimizing server requests. Being able to deliver a swift and responsive experience will heighten user satisfaction among your mobile shoppers, and it will also contribute to better search engine rankings—thus boosting your site’s visibility on mobile search results.

5. Mobile-Friendly Product Pages

   Another step towards making it easier for prospective buyers to peruse your goods is optimizing your product pages. Use high-quality product images that are zoomable with a simple touch or pinch gesture so that buyers can closely examine what your store has to offer and see how your items are different from those of your competitors.

   Accompany your product photos with concise, but compelling product descriptions that are easily scannable on smaller screens. Finally, test the responsiveness of your product pages across various devices to guarantee that each one looks as good as you want it to.

6. Clear Call-to-Action Buttons

   Clear and prominent call-to-action (CTA) buttons will help guide your mobile users through the shopping journey and fully convert them from visitors into full-fledged customers. Design buttons that are easily tappable, with sufficient spacing to prevent accidental clicks. Use contrasting colors to make CTAs stand out, and ensure they are appropriately sized for touch interactions.

   Additionally, use phrases like “Add to Cart” or “Buy Now” to convey clear actions. Strategically place these CTAs throughout the site, especially on product pages and during the checkout process, to create a user-friendly environment that encourages intuitive and decisive interactions.

7. Optimized Forms for Mobile Input

   If your e-commerce site requires user input, allow mobile users to use optimized forms to streamline the data entry process. Implement features such as auto-complete for form fields, which can significantly reduce the effort required from users.

   Utilize input masks to format specific data types like phone numbers or credit card information correctly. In addition, minimize the number of required fields to expedite the buying and checkout process, and ensure that form elements are appropriately sized for touch.

   Enhancing the efficiency and user-friendliness of these forms is a step in the right direction at improving your customers’ overall mobile shopping experience and reducing potential barriers to them completing transactions.

8. Mobile-Friendly Search Functionality

   Lastly, empower mobile users to quickly find what they’re looking for by enhancing your site’s search functionality. You can accomplish this by implementing auto-suggestions, predictive text, and real-time filtering to provide immediate and accurate search results.

   Check that the search bar is easily accessible and prominent on your mobile site as well, allowing users to initiate their desired searches without much trouble. Utilize filters and sorting options to help users refine their search results based on criteria such as price, relevance, or popularity. These functionalities, in turn, can lead to a more enjoyable product discovery process and better alignment of your customers’ needs and what you offer.

Optimizing your e-commerce website for mobile use is a good investment towards transforming your mobile users’ shopping experiences and encouraging them to return on any device they’re using at the moment. Look into the abovementioned enhancements to adapt your site to emerging technologies and to stay attuned to the evolving needs of your mobile shoppers. In doing so, you’ll be able to pave the way for a strong e-commerce presence that delights your mobile customers and drives your own business’s success in the mobile shopping era.