Today’s customers are more likely to use their mobile devices when accessing the internet. A data gathering platform Statista report noted that mobile internet usage penetration in a country like the Philippines alone was around 75% in 2023, or about 7 out of 10 Filipinos regularly use their mobile phones for internet browsing.
Chances are that the same users also shop online through their mobile devices, especially if they’re out traveling and don’t have access to a desktop. This is a huge deal for businesses with online storefronts, as customers are more likely to view those stores from smaller screens.
How ready is your e-commerce site to accommodate its customers in this era of mobile-first online shopping? Here are some key adjustments you might need to consider to ensure that your online storefront is mobile-friendly enough to be profitable:
1) Aim for a Responsive Design
Responsive site design means that the site adapts naturally to the screen size it’s being viewed on. Text, images, navigation, and other page elements in your store should automatically shuffle into a neat and visually appealing manner, no matter how small the screen size is. To ensure that this is the case, check how your store looks on multiple browsers and applications and see to it that no important part is being obscured or inaccessible on small screens.
Give special attention to button sizing as well. Too small buttons may be hard to tap on, while buttons that are too big take up too much space. Make sure these are properly spaced as well so that customers won’t accidentally tap the wrong button as they’re browsing. Above all, when your customers are on the go, they should expect to save time and grief on browsing your website, which is where responsive design comes in.
2) Integrate an Easy-to-Use Payment Gateway for Mobile Transactions
Many online shoppers prefer to use their mobile devices to make purchases because they usually have their funds on digital banking or e-wallet apps. Moreover, in instances when they’re out traveling but still want to purchase something online, digital payment methods are the ideal options for them. That being said, the best payment gateway to have on your website is one that’s easy to use on a mobile device and one that offers customers multiple payment method options of their choice.
Maya Business aims to provide business owners based in the Philippines with online business solutions that can make their customers’ shopping experience hassle-free. For example, Maya Checkout is a secure payment gateway that e-commerce entrepreneurs can integrate with their sites to accept debit and credit cards, e-wallets, and other popular payment methods.
3) Optimize Your Product Display
Viewing content on mobile is vastly different compared to viewing it on a desktop. If subscribing to a mobile-first approach, you’ll want to optimize your use of the limited screen space so that key details of your product listings are visible at first glance. The product’s name, photo, and checkout button should be right up front as soon as a customer clicks the listing. And so that customers can access more detailed product information, use expandable sections that they can simply tap to view and then tap again to hide. This will save screen space and be easier on customers’ eyes.
In addition, display your media in a way that takes mobile viewers into account. Use vertical photos and videos, which look natural on a mobile screen, rather than wide formats to prevent awkward horizontal scrolling.
4) Limit Pop-Ups
When used strategically, pop-ups can be a useful tool to alert customers about an offer or product related to the one they’re viewing. From the view of a desktop, pop-ups don’t take up much space. However, they can be quite intrusive on mobile devices due to the smaller screen and the additional time it takes for a customer to close one. As such, limit your use of pop-ups to make your customer’s mobile browsing experience less of a hassle.
If you do have something important to communicate to them—a discount, promo, or recommendation, for example—consider using a notification bar or a dropdown bar that they can choose to view and hide as needed.
5) Improve Your Site’s Loading Speeds
To make the mobile viewing experience even more seamless for your customers, focus on optimizing your site’s performance to improve loading times on your pages. Using image compression and lazy loading are just some examples of ways to do so.
Also remember that mobile users who are on the go, for example when they’re traveling for business, may experience occasions in which their internet connection isn’t stable. Mobile-optimized pages will ensure that they can still view your store clearly with their device, even if they have a slow connection.
6) Make Your Site More Traveler-Friendly
There are times when a customer might want to purchase something from your store while they’re out of town or out of the country, perhaps to have an item delivered to family or friends in the Philippines as a gift. In such cases, shopping through their mobile device is the easiest way to go about it rather than finding a desktop to use.
It would be in your best interest to make specific improvements to your site so that it’s both mobile-friendly and traveler-friendly. Find out how to add international payment options such as PayPal, Google Pay, or Apple Pay so that even abroad, a customer can still complete their payment. Consider setting up automatic conversion rates as well so that, in cases where customers will be paying with a different currency, they’ll still be able to see exactly how much the purchase will cost them in their home currency.
7) Take Accessibility into Account
Accessibility is an important factor to consider when designing a more mobile-friendly e-commerce site. Some ways to improve the accessibility of your online store include choosing text colors and backgrounds that won’t strain the eyes, putting image alt text which can be beneficial to those who use screen readers, and making buttons large enough so they’re easy to tap on.
Make it your goal to improve your website so that any type of customer can access it from their mobile device, even if they’re dealing with a condition like a visual impairment. The more inclusive and accessible your site is, the wider your reach and the better your reputation will be among this generation of customers.
Optimizing your storefront to be more mobile-friendly opens up many opportunities for your business. Not only can this attract potential buyers; your current customers will certainly be glad as well at how easy and convenient it is to navigate your store, wherever they may be. Let the pointers discussed in this article help you gear up your online store for today’s mobile-first age of e-commerce.
