Recent IMRG statistics indicate that mobile transactions are set to boom in the run up to Christmas (Source: IMRG Capgemini Quarterly Benchmarking Index, Aug 2012) highlighting the need for organisations to optimise their mobile websites in order to take advantage of the additional visitors predicted on mobile devices by Christmas 2012.
In an environment where mobile web users are starting to outnumber fixed (desktop and laptop) web users and where people now have access to email wherever they are, it’s not surprising that more and more people are landing on a mobile version of a website.
The experience that a visitor gets when they arrive at a mobile site could be make or break for organisations – businesses need to be making an impact, not just by providing a site that is actually useable but one that is useful and relevant and one that stays that way over time.
Just reformatting web pages to fit on a small screen is no longer enough and anyone who is serious about mobile commerce should be looking to properly optimise the experience a visitor gets. If we were talking about a traditional, fixed website, customer experience optimisation would be business as usual and there would be testing strategies in place to find the best performing layout, user journeys and site content.
The mobile experience shouldn’t be treated any differently; in fact, one could argue that it’s even more important to get that absolutely right in an age where website loyalty is dwindling in the face of price sensitive and informed shoppers.
When those Christmas visitors arrive on a mobile website, businesses need to ready. Not just for the additional traffic but ready with a strategy to make sure the site is engaging and relevant as well as operationally easy to use.
By Tim Burge
Head of UK Solution Consulting
Maxymiser
www.maxymiser.com
@Maxymiser
