Best Practices For Mobile E-commerce

In 2016, mobile compatibility isn’t an add-on for your online store; it’s a basic requirement. If your shoppers can’t get a great experience when using a smartphone or tablet, they are likely to take their business to one of your competitors.

That’s leading lots of e-commerce entrepreneurs to develop mobile apps. Generally speaking, doing so is a great idea, and a good way to improve sales while making your online store accessible to a wider audience.

However, all mobile e-commerce apps aren’t alike, and you need yours to stand out for the right reasons. Here are a few Best Practices For Mobile E-commerce

Streamline the Interface

What works on a website doesn’t necessarily work on a smaller screen. In fact, it’s incredibly easy for a mobile e-commerce app to become crowded and confused, particularly for new users who aren’t familiar with it.

Make a concentrated effort to streamline your app and its interface. When in doubt, opt for clean designs and white space, with a single menu that guides shoppers from one area or product group to the next. While you certainly don’t want to take the functionality out of your app by oversimplifying it, there can be a bigger risk in making yours too complicated.

Make Navigation a Snap

The bigger your online store is, the more potential there is for customers to get “lost” within your mobile app. That’s particularly true if you have lots of product groups or categories, and buyers are being forced to get from one area to another by pointing, typing, or swiping.

Along with having a clean, streamlined interface, simplified navigation is a benefit that many designers overlook because they want to use as many features or visuals as possible. Ensure usability is your first priority, and then add extra steps or pieces to the app as needed afterward.

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Give Customers Convenience__

If it’s coded in the program correctly, data submitted through your mobile e-commerce app should be even more secure than it is in other areas of your online store. Knowing that, it only makes sense to give your customers every bit of convenience you can.

If it’s possible, give them the option of saving things like passwords, payment preferences, and shipping locations. That doesn’t just speed up orders; it makes it easier to keep buying from you than it does to visit a competitor. Why not create this kind of win-win situation for your customers?

Remember: Your mobile e-commerce app is an extension of your online store. That means it has to be just as powerful, streamlined, and competitive as your website is. Otherwise, customers will download another app and send their business elsewhere.