Why Is Mobile-First User Experience Crucial for Your E-Commerce Website & How You Can Optimise It?

Have you ever been frustrated navigating a website on your mobile device?

It’s a common problem that many users face when visiting e-commerce websites. But did you know a poor mobile user experience can hurt your business?

With more and more people using their smartphones to shop online, e-commerce websites must prioritise mobile-first user experience.

With over 55% of online traffic coming from mobile devices1 as of September 2023, neglecting mobile optimisation can be detrimental to your business.

Read on to explore why mobile-first user experience is crucial for your e-commerce website and how you can optimise it to drive better engagement and conversions.

Understanding the Concept of Mobile-First User Experience

Mobile-first user experience2 refers to a design strategy in which websites and applications are designed for mobile devices first and then adapted for larger screens, such as tablets and desktops.

This approach is in contrast to the traditional method of designing for desktop first and then scaling down for mobile. 

How is Mobile First Design different from Responsive Design?

Mobile-first and responsive designs are two approaches3 used in designing and developing websites.

Mobile First Design

Mobile-first design, as the name suggests, means designing an online experience for mobile before preparing it for desktop or any other device.

In this approach, designers begin by creating sketches and prototypes for the smallest screen size and then gradually improve the experience for larger screens. 

The fundamental idea behind mobile-first design is that if a design works on a smaller screen, it will undoubtedly work on a bigger screen.

Responsive Design

On the other hand, responsive Design is a design approach where a website or a web application is designed to respond to the user’s behaviour and environment based on screen size, platform and orientation.

This can include using images that are automatically resized when viewing on any screen size, flexible grids and CSS queries in an intelligent manner.

This means that a user may switch between devices, such as a laptop and an Android phone, and the website should adjust accordingly to accommodate such screen size. 

The website should have the necessary technology to adapt to user preferences automatically.

Why Mobile-First User Experience is Crucial for Your E-commerce Website

Rising Mobile User Base

Acknowledging the rising trend of mobile users accessing the internet is crucial. This trend is not only limited to social media or information search but extends to online shopping as well.

As reported by Statista4, around 60% of all e-commerce sales were generated through mobile commerce by 2023 and will go up to 62% in 2027.

This indicates a shift in online shopping, with more and more consumers preferring to shop using their mobile devices.

Improved User Experience

The user experience is at the heart of any successful e-commerce website. It’s the user’s journey from landing on your website to completing a purchase.

A mobile-first approach focuses on delivering an optimal user experience on smaller screens, which can be scaled to larger devices. This is important because a poor mobile experience can lead to a higher bounce rate.

Enhancing User Engagement

Mobile-first user experience is critical for e-commerce websites as it significantly enhances user engagement.

With the majority of consumers using their mobile devices to browse and shop online, having a mobile-optimized website ensures a smoother, quicker, and more enjoyable shopping experience.

This can lead to more extended site visits, more page views, and higher conversion rates.

Streamlining the Checkout Process

A complicated checkout process is one of the main reasons for shopping cart abandonment. The issue can be exacerbated on mobile devices due to smaller screen sizes.

A mobile-first approach ensures that the checkout process is as streamlined and straightforward as possible.

This may involve offering a guest checkout option, minimising the number of steps to complete a purchase, and ensuring that form fields are easy to fill out on mobile devices.

Future-Proofing Your Business

With mobile device usage steadily on the rise, businesses that fail to adapt risk becoming obsolete.

Creating a mobile-first user experience ensures your e-commerce website stays relevant and competitive in the evolving digital landscape.

It allows you to cater to the growing number of mobile shoppers, keeping your business in line with current trends and consumer behaviours. This can help ensure the long-term success and sustainability of your e-commerce business.

Moreover, a mobile-first approach can also enhance trust in your brand. If users have a positive experience on your mobile site, they are more likely to perceive your brand as reliable and professional.

How to Optimize Your E-commerce Website for Mobile-First User Experience

Implementing a Responsive Web Design

Responsive web design is the cornerstone of a mobile-first user experience. It ensures that your e-commerce website automatically adjusts to fit the screen size of the device it is being viewed on.

This is important as it guarantees that users can easily navigate your site, whether using a smartphone, tablet, or desktop.

Optimising Website Speed for Mobile Devices

Research from Google has found that a slow-loading website can lead to user frustration and increased shopping cart abandonment rates. In fact, 53% of mobile visits5 are shunned if a page takes three seconds or more to load.

To optimise your website speed, consider implementing techniques such as compressing images, minifying code, and leveraging browser caching.

You can also use Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool to identify any issues that might be slowing down your site and get recommendations on how to fix them.

Simplifying Navigation and Checkout Process

Users should be able to easily browse products, add items to their cart, and complete their purchases with minimal effort. 

They will likely abandon their shopping carts if the navigation is complicated or the checkout process is lengthy.

To optimise the navigation and checkout process, consider implementing clean and simple menus, search functionality, and one-click checkout features.

Ensure all forms are mobile-friendly, as filling out lengthy forms can be particularly challenging on smaller screens.

Incorporating Mobile-Friendly Content

Lastly, ensure that your content is mobile-friendly.

This means using short paragraphs and bullet points to make your content easy to read on small screens. You should also ensure that all images and videos are optimised for mobile viewing.

In addition, consider incorporating mobile-friendly features such as swipe-able image galleries and touch-friendly buttons. These features can enhance the mobile user experience by making your site more interactive and engaging.

Own Your Digital Real Estate With Us

At Grayscale, we provide comprehensive e-commerce website design and development services to help you optimise your mobile user experience.

Our experienced team of developers is well-versed in the latest web technologies and can create a custom solution tailored to your business needs. We can also provide ongoing maintenance and support to ensure that your site remains up-to-date and secure.

Get in touch today by emailing us at enquiries@grayscale.my to find out how we can help you own your website and market your business.

References

1 Howarth, J. (2023, August 29). Internet Traffic from Mobile Devices (Sept 2023). Exploding Topics. Retrieved September 24, 2023, from https://explodingtopics.com/blog/mobile-internet-traffic 

2 Unadkat, J. (2023, May 18). Mobile First Design: What it is & How to implement it. BrowserStack. Retrieved September 24, 2023, from https://www.browserstack.com/guide/how-to-implement-mobile-first-design 

3 Goldstein, A. (2022, May 17). Mobile-First vs Responsive Web Design: All You Need to Know. Editor X. Retrieved September 24, 2023, from https://www.editorx.com/shaping-design/article/mobile-first-vs-responsive-web-design 

4 Buchholz, K. (2023, August 10). Infographic: Global Mobile E-Commerce Worth $2.2 Trillion in 2023. Statista. Retrieved September 24, 2023, from https://www.statista.com/chart/13139/estimated-worldwide-mobile-e-commerce-sales/ 

5 Think With Google. (n.d.). Mobile site load time statistics. Think with Google. Retrieved September 24, 2023, from https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/consumer-insights/consumer-trends/mobile-site-load-time-statistics/