Launching a successful eCommerce business, and keeping it going, is an admirable accomplishment. The world of eCommerce is one where the landscape is always shifting and were new technologies are constantly changing customer expectations.
One of the most significant changes in the eCommerce landscape has been brought about by the advent of mobile devices. Customers are adopting this technology very quickly, making shopping online even more convenient than it is using a desktop computer. According to Media Bistro, in fact, by the year 2017, 26% of US eCommerce sales will be made over mobile devices. In 2014, 19% of all eCommerce purchases will have been made from mobile devices.
For eCommerce retailers, that means that having a mobile solution for their website is imperative. Customers expect to be able to visit their favorite online stores on their mobile devices, and if they cannot, plenty of eCommerce businesses out there have taken the time to develop a mobile site. They benefit not only by increasing their own customer loyalty, but by potentially sniping customers from other businesses that haven’t taken the time to accommodate the mobile customer demographic.
Seamless
Both the desktop site that an eCommerce business operates and the mobile site should, ideally offer the same level of service to customers. For example, on a desktop site, one of the most basic features that an eCommerce business needs is a way to communicate to customers how many units of any product are actually left in stock. This prevents frustration when customers order something that isn’t currently in stock.
Features like this should translate over to the mobile version of the eCommerce store, preventing the mobile version of the site from seeming like a backwater compared to the desktop version of the site. There do have to be compromises, of course, given smaller screen sizes and less convenient navigation options, but the experience of going to the desktop site and the mobile site should be similar, for the most part.
Why Magento?
Magento allows eCommerce retailers to develop responsive sites for their business. The platform also allows them to do this very quickly, saving development costs and preventing unnecessary delays in deployment of what will inevitably be a valuable sales channel.
These responsive sites are among the best solutions for Magento eCommerce. Rather than using an entirely separate mobile version of their site, the eCommerce business puts up a site that automatically detects and adapts to the device being used to browse the pages.
The development should also carry over the branding for the main site and, fortunately, Magento is highly customizable. With the addition of work done by skilled developers, a mobile version of a Magento eCommerce website can be constructed in short order and offer great features and conveniences to customers.
Mobile eCommerce is the future. If you’ve been lagging behind, it is well past the time to start considering how you’re going to reach out to a demographic that is increasing in number and purchasing power all the time.
To your success!
Anton Pachkine
FinestShops offers premium managed e-commerce package for companies without a large IT department.
