Mobile phones and tables are now the order of the day! Their adoption as a platform for e-commerce is no longer something one can take lightly. Researches have shown that they do not only account for more than half of all e-commerce traffic, but also exceeds desktop as the number one source of Google searches. This shows a lot of e-commerce sales are actually happening on mobile devices.

Now, since the use of mobile is evident, this means people (web designers and store owners) need to start thinking beyond the scope of the desktop when it comes to e-commerce projects. The trend is clear, and we’ve all seen how mobile is dominating. Let’s see the ways by which we can optimize for mobile e-commerce.

Choose a Mobile-friendly Shopify Theme

If you are using a premium theme from Shopify, then you’re on the right track as your store should be able to translate from desktop to mobile in an excellent way with everything beautifully done.

However, if you decide to try some theme customization, ensure always to check how it looks on both large and small screens because often when the customization is being done on a desktop, people forget to consider the mobile side.

Also, if you want to do more and give a true mobile shopping experience for your visitors, you should check out a few themes specifically designed for this purpose. Handy and Reach Shopify themes come to mind.

Ensure a Smooth Checkout Experience

We all know the checkout page is an essential part of any store. Even on desktop, the experience here must be good enough to make a customer pay. Add-to-cart buttons must be displayed in front and center on your product pages. You don’t want your customers getting lost while navigating through your store, do you?

As your customers browse through your mobile store, what they click should be what they get. Your “add to cart” button should place the product in the customer’s cart, subtly let them know it’s there, and allow them to continue browsing. Ensure you do everything you can to make the checkout process as smooth as possible.

Make Sure Clickable Elements are Tappable

Yea, you use a mouse to click on desktop while you tap on mobile. Come to think of it, are the clickable elements easily tappable? Remember, a finger is larger than the mouse pointer. Most times, the element being tapped on will be obscured by the finger. Therefore, be certain elements that need to be interacted with are big enough and have adequate spacing on small screens for easy tapping.

Do Something about Your Store’s Load Time

Of course, we meant lowering the load time and not adding to it. The rate at which a site load is directly related to the number of traffic and even the number of sales gotten at the end of the day. If your online store isn’t loading quickly (like 0.5-2.0 seconds fast), you’re losing traffic and, ultimately, sales.

It is important to know that as soon as your store’s load time spans over three seconds, the probability of a user leaving immediately jumps up. The reason for increased load times is not farfetched, as images and videos have been known to be the main culprits.

You can test the load time of your store by using a tool like Test My Site by Google. If you notice the load time is getting more than 2 seconds, you should consider removing some images or videos. Another good way to go about this is to embed a video link rather than hosting it.

Check Out the Forms

Check whether the forms/field labels are still visible while using a mobile.  Does the user-view zoom inappropriately when the user taps on a field to enter text? Also, check out the field types, and ensure that the appropriate keyboards are triggered for each field on mobile. For instance, the number keyboard should trigger a number field, same as the standard text keyboard for a text field.

Prioritize Your Shopify Navigation

Shopify enhanced nested navigation comes to mind, as it allows Shopify merchants to organize their front end menus in a simple drag and drop way. With so many navigation options, people often build menus that feel too webby.

Although it might not be so evident on desktop, it’s more likely to be obvious and can cause problems on small screens like mobile. Edit the mobile menu in the backend of your Shopify store to provide your customers with a seamless shopping experience.

Minimize Text on Product Pages

Another step towards optimizing for mobile e-commerce is having a minimal text on the product page. Your store’s product page on desktop may be beautifully and carefully designed, but this doesn’t translate to a great mobile experience. Ensure always to keep the information about your products on the product page concise and straightforward.

Don’t bore your customers with unnecessary information. If possible, cut down your product descriptions to include core information only. This stops your customers from having to scroll down your page.

There you have it!  A beautifully designed desktop page doesn’t mean a user is going to have a wonderful mobile experience. Since people are now browsing and buying more on their mobile devices, there’s a need to make sure the mobile e-commerce platform is fully optimized to serve these purposes. The above tips are what you need to do this optimization.

Contact us today at Fulfillman to know more about the Shopify dropshipping business. Our dedicated team will be available to speak with you and provide suitable answers to your questions and concerns. We guarantee you excellent services.