- Why is the UX of my mobile store important for my retail business?
- How do I create good UX for my mobile store’s customers?
- How do I make my mobile store’s checkout process simple?
Imagine there’s an online store called Eli’s Electronics Emporium. Eli works hard to ensure his website and online store are easy to use.
But Eli doesn’t really concern himself too much with the store on his mobile website. He thinks that with his online store, he’s got the web-based electronics market covered. But is this true?
34% of online purchases happen on mobile devices. By not focusing on his mobile website, Eli may be allowing almost 1/3 of his customers to have bad shopping experiences, which could lead to fewer sales.
To create positive shopping experiences for customers, you need to think about the way they navigate through your mobile app or site, AKA user experience or UX.
If a supermarket put milk in the meat aisle, never had pasta in stock, and only had one checkout line, they probably wouldn’t get a lot of business, right? Well, a poorly-designed mobile UX can be just as problematic.
To design good UX you need to make sure your mobile site and app are working properly and are easy-to-use, intuitive, and user-friendly for your customers.
The first step to good mobile UX is to make sure your mobile site or app loads quickly.
That’s because when customers have to wait too long, they might get frustrated. That could lead to them leaving their shopping carts full, giving up, and never returning.
To measure how fast your mobile site and app are loading, perform speed tests with services like GMetrix or Google’s Test My Site tool.
Next, make sure the directions you give customers throughout their shopping experiences are clear and straightforward.
Your copy should be clear and guide them to their destination as simply as possible. So instead of, “You’re only 2 clicks away from a purchase,” just say, “Proceed to checkout.”
Also, avoid using jargon and brand-specific terms that customers might not understand. For example, “HiFi speakers” might appeal to audiophiles, but “high-quality speakers” will be easier for more customers to understand.
Along with clear copy, your mobile store needs useful information, logical organization, and navigational ease.
On product pages, provide full descriptions of the product, available sizes, and other relevant features like colour choices and technical specifications.
You probably will want to use videos and photos to showcase your products. Allow users to zoom in on photos so they can have a closer look and see the product from different angles.
If you’re having a sale, display the sale price alongside the original price so customers can see how much they’re saving. Then, they can say to their friends, “I got it for 30% off.”
Also, allow customers to see estimated delivery costs as soon as possible. This will help avoid unpleasant surprises at checkout, which can lead customers to abandon their purchases in the home stretch.
Once customers have chosen their items and are ready to check out, make sure the process is simple and swift.
To simplify checkout, consider offering customers third-party payment options like PayPal or Android Pay.
First-time customers may be hesitant to set up an account, so offer guest checkout. After checkout, encourage them to open an account by mentioning the benefits, special offers, and convenience of saved payment information.
Send order confirmations and receipts to customers’ email addresses to help them manage returns, solve payment issues, and clear up any errors.
Let’s take a quick stroll down the online aisles of your or a competitor’s mobile store and evaluate if it has good UX.
- Does the app or mobile site load quickly? Yes/No/I’m not sure
- Are directions and language clear and straightforward?
- Are there full product descriptions that detail the relevant features?
- Can you zoom in on product photos?
- Can you check out as a guest?
- Can you pay with 3rd party services like Android Pay or PayPal?
- Does the app or mobile website minimize the number of times you need to enter your password?
If you evaluate your own mobile site or app, start by brainstorming additional elements and features to integrate into your mobile store that can create an even friendlier and easier mobile shopping experience.
References: Google Webmasters, Think With Google, Google Primer
