If the present trend continues, it appears internet users on mobile devices will greatly outnumber those on computers in the nearest future. The last few years witnessed a great leap in mobile technology with more devices capable of doing things you would need a computer for and with this came a boost in mobile ecommerce.
A recent report by Shopify claimed 50.3% of visitors from over 100,000 stores using their platform are actually mobile users and the rest 49.7% are on computers. This only further shows that for an ecommerce site to actually be successful, it must take its mobile campaign very seriously.
In a developing economy like Nigeria, the importance of mobile ecommerce cannot be overemphasized. Millions of people only access the internet through mobile phones and that’s a fact. Most ecommerce websites already see this and are actively taking advantage of the situation.
If you’re thinking about starting an ecommerce website or already have one, here are a few things you should consider to jump-start your mobile campaign.
Make your website mobile-friendly
Having a responsive is never enough and this is where a lot of ecommerce websites get it wrong. A mobile-responsive ecommerce website may not really be user friendly as it may appear rather cluttered. There was an article where we tried to compare having a dedicated mobile website with a responsive design but it was concluded that the choice depends on personal preference and more importantly, users behavior. Responsive design doesn’t work for every kind of website.
A responsive design works great on tablets and smartphones but in a market like Nigeria where a lot of people still use feature phones, perhaps having a dedicated mobile-optimized site will convert more.
Do away with distractions on mobile
The amount information you can display on mobile is limited as it’s sometimes tiring scrolling through loads of unneeded information before getting what you need or completing a simple task.
If possible, integration social login should be considered in order to ease the sign up process.
Build a feature-packed mobile app
Having a mobile app can ease a lot of stress for your customers on mobile. It doesn’t only make shopping on the go much easier, it also improves brand loyalty.
Mobile users tend to have a standalone application for almost everything: banking, social networking platforms, health and so on. Having just a mobile version of your ecommerce is not enough, a mobile feature-rich mobile application is a must. Kaymu mobile app for Android, for example, is quite a model mobile ecommerce app.
It appears mobile is the future of the internet and it only makes sense to be present where consumers are.