Series 4  Article 42

 

Did you know that 74% of the people who visit websites on their mobile phone will give up if it takes more than 5 seconds to load?(1)  Back in 2013, mobile phones out-numbered PCs as the most common web access devices worldwide.(2)  It’s amazing how so many websites are still not optimized for mobile.  If you’re not “mobile friendly”, you are losing business!

Here are 3 top reasons “mobile friendly” websites are a must for small businesses:

  1. There are 6.8 billion people on the planet at present. 4 billion own mobile phones.(3)   (But only 3.5 million use a toothbrush….which we will probably not be covering in a future article.)  25% of Americans use only mobile devices to access the Internet.(4)  There are 5x as many cell phones in the world as PCs.(5)  In the US alone, 82 percent of adults own a cell phone. Are you getting the point?  The world is changing and if you don’t change the way your business is represented on the internet, you will be left behind.
  2.  Mobile users have different objectives than desktop users. They want information quickly, in easily digestible bites. 80 percent of shoppers admit that mobile purchases are impulse-driven and they are far more likely to purchase from a mobile friendly site.

Statistics show that mobile users spend more money per purchase than customers do on desktop websites.  These are your customers…these are the young and upcoming “spenders” in the world.  Know your clientele and give them what they need.

  1.  Content that looks great on a desktop might be unreadable on a mobile device. Shoppers will not stay on your site if they have to pinch and zoom or squint at illegible type. Desktop websites in mobile browsers are ineffective at converting visitors into buyers. Calls to action (CTAs) are often obscured, links are difficult to click, and contact pages are buried in awkward menus.

Mobile shoppers have little patience for an unwieldy website and one-third of them will leave a transaction if the site isn’t optimized for mobile. By providing mobile visitors with an appropriate and intuitive user experience you will obviously engage visitors longer and drive more of them to purchase or inquire about your business.

Sources: Compuware.com, Gartner.com, 60SecondMarketer.com, GoMoNews.com, ImpigoMobile