Consumers’ lives are getting faster and more connected. In this piece, Melanie Jensen, e-commerce manager, Aptos, tells RetailTechNews that to make sure retailers are reaching shoppers at every touchpoint, they need to ensure that they are optimised for life on the go. Nearly a third of online shopping across all retail sectors now occurs on a mobile device, which makes it clear that this is a platform that cannot be ignored.

Mobile apps evolved to make our lives faster, easier, and more convenient. It’s time that retailer’s apps followed these rules. All too often, retailers try to offer fun or ‘cool’ experiences, such as making digital outfits or virtually trying on cosmetics. However, if these extras are difficult to use or time-consuming, customers will quickly lose interest – and retailers could lose a sale.

To make sure that your mobile offering is up to scratch, here are five key things to consider when building your app:

Remember that not all smartphones are created equal

Retailers should consider different types of smartphones that customers may be using, whether it’s Apple, Android, Windows Phone, or other. All of these have immediately noticeable differences – such as the size and shape of the screen – which should be accounted for when designing a website or app that is mobile-optimised.

However, there are also less noticeable aspects of the devices, which might only be understood by frequent users. For example, where the ‘back’ button is, where the search function is, or where push notifications appear on the screen. These seemingly minor differences can have a massive effect on sales. If the ‘checkout’ button is where an Android user’s push notification appears onscreen, the customer might get distracted by a text message and accidentally abandon their order, or the lack of clarity in the checkout process can result in a customer giving up entirely on a purchase – the last thing retailers want.

Fix the little things

There are common design mistakes that every mobile website or app will make – and they are usually easy to fix. For example, on a mobile site’s smaller screen, it could be difficult to remove items from the shopping basket. It’s these tiny problems that grind on users, and will ultimately lead them to stop visiting your mobile site.

Melanie Jensen, E-Commerce Manager, Aptos

The secret to a good mobile commerce strategy is making the user’s experience as simple and seamless as possible, and that means fixing the little things as soon as possible.

Design ‘mobile-first’

The key differences between online and mobile offerings might seem obvious, yet it’s shocking how many retailers fail to get it right. Most online retailers now offer shoppers the option to watch a catwalk video of an outfit, or zoom in to examine the fabric of the item. However, on mobile devices, these functions often don’t work or are tricky to use. The best way to combat this is for retailers to adopt a ‘mobile-first’ strategy, where online visuals are initially designed for mobile, then scaled up for desktop.

Leverage loyalty

According to the 80-20 rule, 80% of a retailer’s revenue is generated by 20% of its customers. This rule highlights the importance of building a loyal customer base, and a great way to do this is through mobile.

Loyalty apps offer an exciting opportunity to allow consumers to self-serve – checking stock levels, setting up click-and-collect delivery options, reading reviews, and having access to additional product information – all at their fingertips. Retailers can offer a personal touch by combining data gathered both in-store and online to offer timely and relevant content and offers. 

Understand that life on the go doesn’t stop

The work doesn’t stop once you have optimised your mobile offerings to meet the demands of customers. Retailers need to stay relevant, interesting, and useful across all channels – and mobile is no exception. Retailers need to constantly reinvent their brand and their offerings, whilst ensuring they are still getting the basics right.

If businesses consider these five things when creating mobile apps, it’s time to move on to the next step: asking what will make your app stand out from the crowd, through fun or ‘cool’ experiences. However, retailers need to always ensure that they are not breaking the rules of mobile, by ensuring that every customer journey is fast, easy and convenient.