How important is ‘design’ on a mobile-website, and does it contribute to m-commerce sales?

As mentioned in my previous blog post, having a mobile-website is one of the latest trends among businesses these days. In fact, it is more than a ‘trend’, it is a necessity as mobile-websites provide another platform for customers to shop from (Sender, 2014). There are a few ways in incorporating mobile usability for consumers with the main one being mobile apps. But for smaller companies that may have less budget for marketing and development, mobile-friendly websites are the first step forward.

But what should companies considering when designing a mobile website, and how does this lead to gaining mobile sales transactions as part of a multi-channel shopping process? This blog post will discuss the main design requirements that businesses can use to entice consumers into buying their products through their mobile.

‘Design’ can often be overlooked, meaning that little time is spent on design development or there is little updates made as part of the digital marketing strategy. From a marketing point-of-view, incorporating a good design is crucial for any business, to ensure it is well-received by browsers. The following points are the key design areas which should be addressed:

Responsive design
With the vast amount of devices that are used by consumers today, one of the most important elements in any website is ‘responsiveness’, where the web pages respond to the size of the device being used (desktop, tablet, mobile). This optimises the viewing and interactive experience for users. Companies should ensure that there is good HTML knowledge among the staff, whether this be in IT, Digital or Marketing, to fully implement responsive design (Google, 2016). Also, many smaller companies have less staffing in their marketing departments, and thus will have less time to implement this into their online marketing strategy (McKinley, 2002). Of course, if companies are willing to invest, this potential challenge can be avoided by outsourcing a freelance web developer (which I would highly recommend).

Aesthetics
Secondly, although the screen size will be much smaller when viewing on a mobile device, all the colours and fonts within the mobile-website should still represent the branding. These should be based on colours set out in the company’s brand guidelines, and be similar to the desktop website to maintain recognition and consistency. Also worth noting is the font size should be easy to read so that the consumer doesn’t need to zoom in on the web-page.

Imagery
With one image representing 1,000 words, imagery one of the most important elements to include in a mobile-website’s design. But what kind of imagery should be included? Using imagery that is high-quality, graphical and rich is suggested to delight visitors (Hoehle & Venkatesh, 2015). This would have higher engagement and aesthetic appeal, compared to plain white spacious background.

Information/Content
Over-loading information can result in a negative response from visitors as this makes it harder to navigate. With the reduced screen size to display the web-pages on mobile devices, careful consideration will be needed into what content is most important for the intended purpose. This also makes it easier for consumers to navigate when visiting a website, increasing the ease of purchasing too.

Transaction Security
Despite the strong development of e-commerce over recent years, with 76% consumers making online purchases (ONS, 2015), there are still many individuals who are cautious in purchasing products/services digitally. The same applies with mobile and may affect the amount of trust consumers have with a brand (Security Intelligence, 2016).

There are many ways to ensure that mobile visitors feel safe purchasing from a mobile website, for example implementing Authentication and User Management and Fraud Protection (Security Intelligence, 2016). These need to be remembered when designing the website by presenting it clearly on the screen throughout the mobile site to maximise customer acknowledgement.

Virtual Agent
A ‘virtual agent’ acts as an online support tool to aid visiting customers if required. Although beneficial, adding an online assistant may not be appropriate for all businesses and would an inefficient use of their money/budget.

Luckily, if an existing desktop website meets all the above requirements, it will be relatively easy and quick to transfer them across to the mobile website. This also creates consistency across all online channel communications, which means that consumers are able to easily recognise the brand and product offerings.

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As mentioned, the costs involved with creating a mobile-friendly website will depend on how many design changes needs to be amended and implemented into creating the new mobile-optimised website. For some companies, this may be an inconvenience as there is no allocated budget, lack of time, lack of developing knowledge, or simply may have not been considered in their current digital marketing strategy.

REMEMBER – DESIGN NEEDS TO FIT YOUR APPROPRIATE TARGET AUDIENCE.

Lastly, the success of gaining transactions through mobile websites will depend on the target audience. For example, a company whose target audience includes the older demographic and rarely uses mobile devices, mobile-website may not be the most important area to focus on at this stage. My personal view is that the potential benefits (increased sales, stronger customer relationships and brand awareness) outweighs the costs of creating a mobile-friendly website – so what are you waiting for?

Thanks for reading!

REFERENCES:
Google. (2016). Overview. [Online]. https://developers.google.com/analytics/devguides/collection/other/mobileWebsites#overview [Accessed 10 May 2016].

Hoehle, H. and Venkatesh, V., (2015). Mobile Application Usability: Conceptualization and Instrument Development. MIS Quarterly. Vol 39 (2), 437-471.

McKinley, M. (2002). Marketing Alignment. Hats Off Books: Arizona

ONS (Office for National Statistics). (2016). 5 facts about online retail sales in the UK. [Online]. http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20160105160709/http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/rdit2/e-commerce-and-internet-use/5-facts-relating-to-web-sales/sty-5-facts.html [Accessed 10 May 2016].

Security Intelligence. (2016). ENSURING MOBILE TRANSACTION SECURITY THROUGH IDENTIFICATION, AUTHENTICITY AND TRUSTWORTHINESS. [Online]. https://securityintelligence.com/ensuring-mobile-transaction-security-through-identification-authenticity-and-trustworthiness/ [Accessed 10 May 2016].

Sender, T. (2014). Driving mobile fashion purchases. [Online]. Accessed through Mintel at: http://academic.mintel.com/display/708175/?highlight [Accessed 1 May 2016].

Shankar, V., Kleijnen, M., Ramanathan, S., Rizley, R., Holland, S., and Morrissey, S., (2016). Mobile Shopper Marketing: Key Issues, Current Insights, and Future Research Avenues. Journal of Interactive Marketing. Vol 34, 37-48.