Mobile Sites' Easy Use Is Critical To Conversions
- by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, September 25, 2012
Mobile sites that load within five
seconds or less have a greater chance of converting visitors into buyers, compared with ones that take longer, according to research released Tuesday.
Not only fast load times, but consumers want big buttons and text, less content, along with easy search features and limited scrolling and pinching of the screen. They also want quick access to business information, such as directions, phone numbers, click-to-call features, ability to send email, download an app, and product information.
The study on what mobile users want and think about mobile friendly sites found 48% want easy access to company's social networking page and 41% want to play a video clip about products and services. Consumer also want to find information through one or two clicks, 74% want an option to switch to the non-mobile site, 78% want an easy-to-find search bar, 69% want big finger buttons, and 73% want non-scrolling forms with not too many fields.
Banking options also have become important, with 77% wanting the ability to check account balances, 65% want easy access to business hours and directions, 51% look for options to pay bills, and 51% look for ways to transfer money.
Findings from the Google study found nearly 96% of consumers have encountered sites not designed for mobile devices.
Brands that do not have a mobile site feed competitors clients, with half admitting they will buy from the company less often if the Web site isn't mobile friendly. The study found consumers are five times more likely to abandon a task. Some 61% of users said they move on to another site if they don't quickly find what they need, and 79% that don't like the unfriendly mobile site go back and search for another. About 66% of consumers find mobile sites through a search engine.
The sale and the company's reputation are at stake if users become frustrated. In fact, 52% said a bad mobile experience made them less likely to do business with the company, 48% said companies with sites that don't work well on smartphones make them feel as if their business doesn't matter, and 36% said they felt like as if they wasted their time by visiting such sites.
Mobile optimization is clearly a crucial element for B2C sites. I'm curious how this relates to B2B companies? Is there still that expectation that a site be mobile? For example - would a professional services firm need a mobile site to help convert clients?
You NEED a mobile-ready site that LOADS in under a half hour! I am amazed at how many firms will say that they are B2B so mobile doesn't apply to them. Really? People run back to their lap/desktop before they look for you or need your goods/services? amazingly delusional...
I'm still surprised when people ask me "what's a mobile website" There is still a lot of education that needs to be done for both the consumer and the small business owner who wonders why she needs one. I also think that companies with sales reps and consultants should have a "mobile business card", then prospects can bookmark the sales reps site, for an easy to find reference, if they want to contact them with a question or they are ready to buy.
What's old is new again.
x2 what Wendy writes - I've found the mobile space to be dominated by potential clients that "don't know what they don't know" when it comes to understanding the utility and value of a mobile website - just like clients back in the first days of the web experience.
Most of the creatives and agencies in the space have not yet figured out what to do either. From the three comments above mine, when I tapped in their URLs, only Wendy's site looks and loads like it is mobile. ILFusion's site took forever to load on my HTC Evo, both Bars+Tone and ILFusion featured tiny illegible fonts when viewed on a small screen. I am guilty as well. My site is not mobile friendly either, although the new one is designed to be mobile first.
It is hard to pare down the content and look to fit a small screen. I think that is a significant issue with agencies who want to show something "fancy" and find that the small screen inhibits "fancy".
This is a tough bridge to cross.
My own informal research, done by simply tapping agency URLs (as I encounter them in email newsletters) into my mobile phone show that more than 8/10 do not show an obvious mobile friendly presence.
It is still early days.......
Thanks for noticing, Jeff! :)
You make an excellent point, though, about agencies in particular. Mobile Optimization presents new creative challenges that need to be overcome in order to ensure a good mobile experience.
I'm still curious about the need for mobile optimization for B2B Services companies. Do the same rules apply?
Hi Jeff, I've actually changed my links to go to my mobile sites. And to explore your question about 'fancy', there are ways to do 'fancy' on a mobile screen. Here is an example that you can see
http://wendysmith.mobivantage.mobi/app/mobi-site-examples/370131/11/?44772
There are several ways to build a mobile site that I think allow for a great deal of creativity.
And Eric, I thank that B2B businesses can benefit from a mobile site. And, the rules will be different, just as they are in other forms of marketing. For example: If your are a restaurant manager and your toilets back up and you need a plumber and you have a mobile phone in your hand and you google 'plumber', the plumber you choose is probably going to have any easy to navigate site with a "call here in emergency button" on the front of their screen. Something that would be good for both B2B and B2C.