How Mobile-First Design Contributes to Higher eCommerce Sales

For the average online shopper, it’s more convenient to browse and purchase products through a smartphone compared to a computer. Fortunately, professional eCommerce website designers can craft mobile-first web designs that boost sales.

Source: Statista.

However, to convince customers to convert, remember that a flawless, mobile-friendly site takes more than an attractive design. You have to consider User Experience (UX), responsiveness, and mobile-friendliness.  Incorporating mobile-first design principles can significantly help increase your eCommerce store’s revenue.

The Importance of Mobile-First Web Design

A mobile-first web design is a vital part of creating a superb and engaging website. Traditionally, you’ll want to create an eCommerce desktop site first before scaling it down to work on mobile devices.

Mobile-first design flips this approach upside down by prioritizing a website that addresses the needs and pain points of smartphone users. It incorporates elements like a responsive layout,  optimized User Interface (UI), and mobile-friendly media. When done right, a mobile site that puts its users first enhances engagement and conversions.

Source: BankMyCell.

Think about it, there are currently 4.88 billion phone users in 2024. If mobile users find your eCommerce website easy to navigate and purchase from, you’ll see a significant increase in sales!

How Mobile-First Design Contributes to Higher eCommerce Sales

The Influence of Mobile Usage on eCommerce Sales

Data predicts mobile commerce sales will reach $2.5 billion this year. Given the number of mobile users worldwide, it won’t be a surprise if sales continue to increase over the years. The convenience of mobile shopping undoubtedly influences the growth of mobile commerce. 

Source: Oberlo.

According to E-Commerce Statistics of 2024, 91% of people purchase online through their phones. Thus, if you want to increase the sales of your eCommerce business, consider a mobile-first website design.

Think of it this way: if your site has a mobile-first design, consumers can seamlessly interact and browse through it since its features are mobile-optimized. If people enjoy using your site, they’ll likely explore more products and ultimately make a purchase.

Aside from increasing sales, your business site will gain these benefits:

• Increased customer satisfaction;
• Enhanced personalization;
• Expanded audience reach;
• Social media marketing strategies, like influencer marketing;
• Competitive advantage, and
• Adaptability to future web design trends.

Enhancing User Experience (UX) with Mobile-First Design

The trick to providing customers with the best shopping experience is ensuring your mobile website has a smooth UX.

Let’s say you’re running a tech eCommerce business with a mobile site that loads at a snail’s pace, with complex navigation and a multi-step checkout process. Choosing and buying a laptop from your store should be a simple process. But because your site has bad UX, the customer ends up clicking away due to frustration. Thus, you lose out on a potential sale.

Source: Startup Bonsai.

You can prevent this by having an eCommerce web design agency prioritize the following to enhance your site’s UX:

• Seamless navigation;
• Intuitive interface;
• Fast website load time, and
• Optimized performance.

The idea is to make the experience of browsing and purchasing from your mobile site as smooth and fast as possible. Hence, customers will want to buy from your business instead of your competitors.

Improving Accessibility and Reach

The point of a mobile-first web design is to optimize your site so it functions well on smaller screens. Aside from improving UX, you can also prioritize accessibility to expand brand reach and attract more potential customers. This way, people with disabilities will find your site easy to use, so they’ll want to keep purchasing from your business.

For an inclusive mobile website, an eCommerce web designer can incorporate elements like:

• Alternative text for images;
• High-contrast color schemes;
• Legible typography, and
• Optimized form fields.

You can also check out the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to ensure your site complies with the standards. Aside from increasing sales, your eCommerce website can also experience the following benefits:

• Enhanced brand reputation;
• Reduced cart abandonment;
• Increased mobile traffic.

Leveraging Mobile-Specific Features for Increased Sales

You can make your mobile site more convenient for customers to use by taking advantage of mobile-specific features. You can have an eCommerce web design agency prioritize elements like:

• A mobile-friendly search bar;
• Touch-friendly Calls-to-Action (CTA) buttons;
• Push notifications, and
• Mobile wallets and one-click payments.

These features make it easier to navigate through a smaller screen so customers can browse and purchase products smoothly and quickly.

For example, a user wants to know what types of blue shirts your brand carries, so they search for the term. An intuitive search bar will lead them to a page with your catalog of blue shirts. If they see a product that they like, they can then be redirected to the checkout page.

Mobile SEO and Visibility

Another reason to consider applying mobile-first design on your eCommerce site is it enhances your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy. Search engines use mobile-first indexing for ranking. If your website offers relevant content and superb UX, it will have a better chance of ranking on Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).

Source: Backlinko.

According to data, the first search result has a 27.6% Click-Through Rate (CTR). If your site gets the top result, it significantly enhances your business’s online visibility.

To optimize your mobile site’s SEO efforts, an SEO expert can help create a strategy that prioritizes the following:

• Mobile keyword research;
• Local SEO optimization;
• Metadata, and
• Mobile-friendly content.

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Mobile-First Design is Important Because… 

It prioritizes smartphone users’ needs, enhancing user experience and accessibility. As a result, customers will have a great shopping experience and want to keep purchasing from you. In turn, this will increase your eCommerce business’ sales and promote its growth.

An experienced eCommerce web design agency can optimize your site’s mobile-first web design to boost conversions and sales.

About Adam Tan

Adam is a charming geek who loves his family's Siberian Husky, enjoys the occasional night out with friends and, most of all, lives and breathes new trends and updates about the web and its technicalities. If you want to stay updated with changes or new trends on the web or learn about the technicalities that are involved, he's your guy. He's capable of writing cheesy stuff as well, but he'd rather stick with the manly stuff.

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