Top 10 E-Commerce Mistakes to Avoid for Business Success

Website developers deal with screen restrictions when building a mobile version of an eCommerce website. They often try to shrink pages to load faster on mobile devices, thus hiding the content from users. Hiding the website content does not make the web page smaller in size. Also, hiding content does not abide by the search engine guidelines e.g., Google and can trigger a low-quality penalty e.g., Panda penalty. To reduce page size, you can look for other solutions, e.g., generate the page dynamically with a definite speed improvement (page download) for mobile users. Offering less content is also bad for user experience, as it will affect buying decisions and may lead the users to search for more information in the desktop version or abandon the site. It is an entirely new mindset that calls for a reconsideration of what and how much content is needed, and how to present it efficiently, so it converts.

A common mistake for mobile developers is that they start designing for the desktop version first, then scaling down for mobile devices. During this process, a lot of useful stuff gets removed, and sanitized, and restrictions, flaws, and unsolved technical challenges from the desktop version pass on to mobile. The best practice is to start designing with the mobile version in mind, like dealing with the design of a brand new site and making the correct choices without carrying past burdens. Beginning the layout for smaller screens simplifies things and offers UX solutions that can be scaled up for the desktop version. Smaller screens can create a better experience for all device types: desktop, mobile, and tablet.

When building a mobile responsive site, all images should be offered to match user screen resolutions. Resize accordingly to render correctly on all screens, reduce page size, and save bandwidth. Still, a large number of eCommerce sites fail to understand the adaptive mindset. There are some techniques to accomplish this task, such as using CSS (fluid images) or the HTML5 <picture> element for modern browsers, which do not need additional scripts or third-party services to do the job.

Some developers are eager to satisfy the need to fit everything on small screens and make their build responsive so they end up designing too small call-to-action buttons. Why make the users tap and zoom in to click a button? Why not build a good user experience? How does that impact conversions?

When the mobile-friendly index came into play, the majority of e-commerce sites had only desktop versions. Designing for mobile was not a priority but only a rush to be compatible with not losing traffic. Most eCommerce stores did not analyze their mobile users’ behavior; It was a mobile patch. Analyzing visitor behavior is fundamental to driving design decisions, and rethinking conversions, CTA buttons, product images, pricing elements, and descriptions. It can show what mobile devices are used, compatibility issues that cause drop-offs, browsing behavior, zooming on product images, clicking buttons, etc. Visitor analysis should be integrated into business processes when the need is to design or optimize conversions.

You have prepared a mobile-friendly eCommerce site, and you have mobile traffic, but when you send emails to customers, you have missed the part that these should be responsive to fit their small screens. Should you expect your conversions to increase? Email lists keep customers engaged with your brand (customer retention), lead to more sales, and build awareness. All email content should be tested first on mobile and be efficient. Modern email management software facilitates this process.