Big online stores have seen huge increase in revenue by going responsive. In this article, we’ll cover the crucial steps for creating a highly converting mobile e-commerce website. So, let’s get started.

Identifying the mindset of target audience for mobile websites

The mobile device is used at all times of the day and at various places by the users, like while watching TV or having dinner at night, while getting bored at workplace, or while travelling. Depending on the usage location and time, users react differently to different advertisements and products on mobile e-commerce stores. They may or may not be in a purchasing mood.

In such a case, strategically placing different banners on the home page of your website, such as price promotions or discount offers is quite beneficial. While the morning users may love discounts, TV dinner viewers might like something else. For example, a banner saying “Bored of watching boring daily soaps? Grab an exciting DVD set of latest movies”.

Some mobile shoppers are comparers; some are deal lovers; some social shoppers while rest are just time passers. So, you need to deal with each one of them in a different and smart way to lure them into buying your products.

Also, poorly performing mobile sites or apps can annoy or frustrate the users and lead to distrust.

Measuring conversion

First, you need to understand the term ‘conversion’. Conversion may occur in three ways, as given below:

• The visitor comes to your site and actually purchases a product.

• The visitor follows one of the social channels; share, tweet or like your product or website; post a review; subscribe; etc. leading to social promotion of your website.

• The visitor completes a task. It can be anything like filling out a poll or entering a competition.

We then need to set some smart goals to track and measure our success. These goals also help us to remain focused on the project and not end up with over-specifying or over-designing the website.

Spotting design factors that affect conversion rate

Some design factors directly affect the customers while browsing an e-commerce website from a mobile device. These are as given below:

• Hierarchy and Navigation
Space is a luxury for mobile devices. So, there are limitations as to providing mega menus to browse through multilevel categories. Thus, it is recommended to prioritize key features and content and instead provide an easily accessible search box at a good location. Adopting off-canvas navigation is a way to go.

There are many navigation methods like list, matrix, bottom or top menus. The best approach is to use a fixed menu at the top that would offer the best usability. Each of the menu buttons can then be expanded to get a navigation list along with the subpages that load through a matrix menu.

• Embedding attractive images and photographs
Photography can completely make or break a website’s appeal. The mobile consumer desires to see images and photographs that enchants them and encourages them to buy the product. For instance, sometimes the same product shot at different angles give different impression about that product to the consumer. Also, including detailed shots of products plays an essential role in the buying process. If it is a combination product, taking individual shots of each part is recommended.

• Typography
If the users have to zoom in the screen to read the text, it annoys them instantly. So, make sure you exploit the typography skills wonderfully.

• Finger Friendly
All the finger hit targets should be wide enough to facilitate easy pressing otherwise the user have to give extra attention while doing the same and it can make him/her frustrated.

• Effective use of color palette
Contrasting colors should be used to design buttons for clearer perception and action call. If the hit target blends in the webpage, users are likely to miss it.

Other factors include appropriate copywriting, finger-friendly and legible forms and a perfectly designed product page.

Planning in this way makes you deliver a well optimized mobile e-commerce website that is well targeted to the potential customers and that converts more visitors into buyers.