So you have some amazing things to sell. You get a website for yourself which is now an e-Commerce store. You have some classy looking designs coupled with some cool looking CTA buttons. Sure, your e-Commerce website design does look great on a desktop but how does it look on a mobile or a tablet? Are you making your users zoom in and out of a page? If you’re expecting your users to stick on to your website even after making them work so much, you must really have a product that’s exclusive to your store (which is highly unlikely).
According to statistics, in the past year, about 80% of shoppers use smartphones to review products, check on prices and offers instead of going to a physical store. And 62% of shoppers have used their mobile devices to make online purchases. If you are still pushing away the thought of making your e-Commerce design responsive, you’re ignoring all the potential customers you could have. Having a responsive design for your website means that your website can conform to any device – a desktop, a tablet or a smartphone of any size. All the elements of your e-Commerce website like the content, images, videos, structure etc. will retract to fit into any device regardless of the size. So, why should you really need a responsive web design? Here’s why:
M-Commerce is the new E-commerce
It is a fact that there are more mobile devices than there are people in this world. As more and more online shoppers are using their smartphones or tablets to shop on the go, there’s a highly potential market for m-Commerce stores which is e-Commerce for Mobile devices. Every month the number of shoppers on mobile devices are increasing and you will be losing on potential customers if you don’t pay attention to details and provide them with a responsive design.
You might say ‘hey, I have a mobile app that works great on all mobile devices. Why do I need my website to be responsive?’ If your sales completely rely on your Mobile app and you don’t have a website it is OK. But when you have spent so much time and effort on your website knowing that may be some percentage of users prefer shopping on websites, it only makes sense to go a step further and make your website responsive lest you want to lose those prospective customers. Moreover if you spent money on SEO, you really owe it to yourselves and your customers who have discovered you and are now are on your website albeit on their mobile phones.
A compelling User Experience
About 60% of surveyed customers said that they shop online only because they can use their mobiles/tablets to purchase. When you offer your users with a responsive UI design, you are providing them with a compelling user experience that will bring customers back again and again. It also goes to show that you care for your user’s time and comfort, which makes you a trusted vendor.
Better SEO ranking
When you have two websites – one for desktop and one for mobile devices, you will have two different URLs with the same content. And Google does not like that much. Google recommends using a responsive design as it is easier to crawl on and index your website and is favorable to such responsive websites. With one URL, it is also easier to share your website via social media or any publications. Moreover, if your e-Commerce website does n ot appeal to your users, they’re going to bounce off which increases your bounce-rate. The higher your bounce-rate means the lower your SEO ranking.
An increase in conversion rate
If you have happy users, you have a better chance of having them converted to happy customers. When you provide them with a great user experience regardless of the device they use, expect happy customers. If your users have to zoom in and out of your website to read content or find a button on your page, it is very likely that they might leave and head to another e-Commerce store with a better user experience.
