According to Google, people spend 15+ hours per week on their smartphones browsing or researching products and services online. Yet, conversion rates on mobile devices continue to be much lower than on desktop or tablet. On average, global desktop conversion rates are nearly 3x that of mobile conversion rates. There are several reasons as to why that is.

Firstly, user intent often differs. Online searches on mobile phones tend to focus on solutions that are in near proximity, such as looking up the closest store. Secondly, mobile phones are often used while performing other daily tasks. Distractions in the real-world can cause interruptions leading to a multi-session and multi-device shopping experience. The browsing journey might start on the mobile phone while lining up for morning coffee, continue on the desktop computer at work while eating lunch and end at home on the laptop while watching TV. 

There isn’t anything that can be done about user intent or the tendency to multi-task and use multiple devices wherever and whenever convenient. Our busy lifestyles demand it. This is exactly why the online experience needs to be seamless across devices – including mobile phones. Potential customers need to be able to navigate a site effortlessly on a mobile device and find what they are looking for, whether it is looking up a product or using a service. In fact, 61% of users are unlikely to return to a mobile site after they had trouble accessing it. First impressions are therefore as important as ever.

Does your website offer the best possible mobile experience? The answer is almost always no. Even if you have been spending time optimising, conversion rate optimisation is an ongoing process, which requires testing, monitoring, refining and more testing. Mobile conversion rate optimisation goes beyond mirroring the desktop experience. It’s about creating user journeys that are mobile-first, designed and implemented specifically to cater for the needs of today’s mobile user.  

For Australian retailer Noni B Group, this has proven to be the formula to success. Continuous mobile optimisations on Rockmans resulted in a 47% YoY increase in mobile conversion rate in December. One of the most recent mobile changes has been the introduction of a sticky “Add to bag” button on product pages. No more scrolling required to find the button and the effects have been immediate. In the first month, this change resulted in a 15.5% increase in customers adding items to their shopping bag. On sister brand site WLane clicks increased trifold.

Understanding how customers use their mobile phones is the first step in identifying opportunities to enrich their mobile shopping experience. That’s what mobile conversion rate optimisation is all about. Your customers will thank you for it and so will your bottom line.