3 Ways to Increase Mobile Conversion Rates

with guest Justin Christianson #MakingBank S4E19

We live in a world where most of our customer contact is happening on a mobile device. So would you be surprised to learn that conversion rates are nearly double on desktop devices versus mobile devices? So if you’re currently seeing a 1.5% conversion rate via mobile, you will likely see a 3% conversion rate via desktop. What drives customers to be twice as likely to commit to sale from their desktop rather than their mobile phone? The answer isn’t terribly complex – mobile options just don’t provide the ease of access to a full product catalog or the ability to research and compare products as a desktop can offer.

I don’t know about you, but if I am thinking about buying something, especially I high ticket item, I end up with what seems like 100 different tabs open on my computer with different reviews, providers, and articles. I want to use the full power of the internet to make sure I’m making the best possible choice before I part ways with my hard-earned cash. Yes, you could technically have just as many tabs open on your mobile device, but it ends up feeling clumsy and frustrating.

This is what we see in the data. People might visit your website and appear to be fully engaged in the shopping journey on their mobile device, and then they drop off. What often happens is they flag the product or page on their Facebook or Instagram. They email the link to themselves so they can research it later. This is a huge opportunity you might be missing out on. If someone isn’t fully committed to the sale before they close out the window (even if they share it or email themselves) we know there is a high likelihood they will never open that saved email and never complete the sale.

So what can we do to combat this lower mobile conversion rate? Below are three of the ways we work to make the mobile shopping experience more intuitive and easier to navigate. We do this by creating bundle options, highlighting and suggesting higher-priced options throughout the shopping journey, and finding ways to give the customer access to more of the product catalog without having to dig too deeply into the site.

Bundles

One way to increase mobile conversion rates is to provide bundling options during the shopping process on the mobile site. This does a few things that are really important for the mobile shopper. If done correctly, bundles will package cohesive products together that are relevant to the customer’s needs. This also provides an opportunity to automatically include some bigger ticket products without extra work from the customer.

Bundling is a great option to upsell and because mobile devices are so responsive this is an easy way to not only get the customer to follow through on their purchase but to hopefully spend more on each sale.

Highlighting higher-priced items

Alongside offering traditional bundles is to strategically highlight higher-priced items throughout the shopping process. This can be done in multiple ways such as having a suggested items field in a product description. This can be set to show the customer-related items to what they are looking at that might have a higher price tag. And what would be even better is having the options to add those suggested items directly to the customer’s cart from the current page they are on.

Remember, the key to increase mobile conversion rates is simplicity. We don’t want to crowd every page with suggested items, but being strategic about where we place these suggestions, as well as the items being suggested, can expose the customer to products they might not have otherwise seen.

Another way to highlight higher-priced items is to create comparison charts of similar products. This is a great option when you have similar products or services with varying features or levels. This does the research for the customer and presents the information in an easy to understand graphic.

Get creative and take some time to walk through your sales process now. Where can you easily highlight your higher ticket items in a way that feels organic and helpful?

Easy access to the product catalog

The last tip we have for increasing mobile sales is providing expanded and easy to navigate access to the product catalog. This falls in line with reducing the work for the customer and simplifying their shopping experience. One way to do this is by having your bestselling products listed right on your homepage. Even better is having the products under glowing reviews and testimonials. This gets the customer engaged immediately in the shopping experience and helps the see a variety of proven products as soon as they come to your page.

Providing intuitive catalog search options and clear, concise product descriptions allows the customer to not only find exactly what they are looking for but to see more products without getting lost in endless pages on the website.

All of these tips really are about anticipating and understanding your customers’ needs, pain points, and questions. When you can understand and anticipate the kinds of questions a customer might have when researching a product, you can be proactive. This might look like providing bundle options or a list of best selling products on your homepage, or maybe it is suggesting related (and higher-priced products) during the checkout process. Stepping into your customers’ shoes and getting creative about meeting their needs can be the difference between one sale and a bundle or a customer flagging your site on their social media or sending an email they are likely never going to open.

Asking yourself how you have intentionally created a simplified, intuitive mobile experience for your customers can get you headed in the right direction. If your mobile site isn’t utilizing bundles, finding ways to upsell, or offering easy access to more of your product catalog you might be missing out on sales!