Why is mobile design important for your online store and how to optimise it?

In today's fast-paced world where mobile devices dominate internet access, optimising your online store for mobile is absolutely crucial. Mobile design affects not only the user experience, but also conversions, SEO and the overall success of your business. Today, we'll look at the reasons why mobile design is essential for your online store and reveal tips on how to optimise it properly.

Why is mobile design essential?

1. The rise of mobile shopping: Mobile devices have become the primary way users browse and shop online. According to statistics, mobile phones account for more than half of online purchases. If your online store is not properly optimised for mobile users, you risk losing a large portion of your customers, which you definitely don't want.
2. Better User Experience (UX): You can provide a quality user experience if you have a properly designed mobile experience. A poorly executed mobile site can be frustrating for customers, leading to higher bounce rates and lower conversions.
3. Improving SEO: Google puts a lot of emphasis on mobile accessibility. In 2018, Google introduced a "mobile-first index", which means that Google primarily looks at the mobile version when ranking websites. If a website is poorly optimised for mobile, it can fall in the search results, negatively affecting its traffic.
4. Page load speed: Mobile users lack patience and expect fast page loads. Studies have shown that if a web page takes more than 3 seconds to load, most users will abandon it.

How to optimise mobile design for your online store?

1. Responsive design

The first step to optimization is to implement responsive design, which automatically adjusts the page layout to the screen size. Responsiveness ensures that your online store looks attractive and works flawlessly on mobile phones, tablets and computers.

2. Simple and clear navigation

Space is very limited on mobile devices, so navigation should definitely be simple and intuitive. Choose easy-to-read menus, large buttons and clearly structured content so users can quickly find what they're looking for.

3. Optimise images and media

Large images and media files slow down page load times significantly, so make sure all images are optimised for mobile devices, i.e. they are the correct size and compression. Also consider implementing lazy loading, where images only load when they reach the visible area.

4. Optimise for touch

Mobile devices are touch-controlled, and this means that elements on the page need to be easy to use with a finger. Buttons should be of sufficient size and spaced far enough apart to avoid misclicks. Forms and interactive elements are recommended to be designed to be simple and easy to use on smaller screens.

5. Page loading speed

Don't forget to improve your site speed. Try using tools like Google Page Insights to identify performance issues and speed up loading on mobile devices. Common tips include reducing code, using caching and optimising images.

6. A simple and fast buying process

Mobile users expect a quick and easy shopping process. Reduce the number of steps in the shopping cart, simplify forms, and enable shopping without registration. To improve convenience and speed up purchase completion, consider providing mobile payments such as Apple Pay or Google Pay.

Our tip: We recommend testing your online store regularly on a variety of mobile devices and screen sizes. Tools such as Google's Mobile-Friendly Test can help you do this, which will tell you how your online store is performing in terms of mobile experience and identify any issues.

Conclusion

Mobile design plays a crucial role these days. With the growing number of mobile users, it's essential to ensure that your online store offers a smooth, fast and user-friendly experience on all types of devices. Optimising your mobile design will not only improve user experience, but also increase conversion rates and promote better SEO.

‍