Importance of Mobile-First Design for eCommerce You Can’t-Miss

In 2018, statistics released by the "we are social digital report" suggested that mobile users were fast taking over the internet space and were becoming a force to reckon with. The numbers have not dropped to date. Instead, it keeps rising.

Mobile devices are now sophisticated enough to be as helpful as desktops. And as the number of smartphone users continues to grow, it is only logical to make sure that web platforms deliver a superb experience to these user groups.

You may be wondering, "What exactly is a mobile-first design, and how is it related to eCommerce?" well, before we talk about its relation to eCommerce, we would briefly explain what is mobile-first design.

(Copyright photo from: https://unsplash.com/photos/FPt10LXK0cg)

What is Mobile-First Design for eCommerce?

Mobile-first, as the name clearly indicates, is beginning a product software design from a mobile end. The reason behind this is making mobile web platforms just as responsive and user-friendly as their desktop or tablet counterparts. It often involves the adaptability of the images and texts, such that users get a better interface and experience.

How does this relate to eCommerce? The key priority in eCommerce is to give users the best experience, so they keep coming back. eCommerce brands can achieve this by delivering captivating and straightforward designs, fast loading time, and ease of access across all their platforms, including mobile.

Designing your website on a mobile-first makes it easier for most internet users to access your website and makes it acceptable.

Why is Mobile-First Design Gaining Importance?

Delivering mobile-first designs has become a top consideration for eCommerce websites for the following reasons:

1. People spend more time on mobile devices.

It is no longer news that a mobile phone is one gadget almost everyone connected to the internet. The rise of social media and other innovative tech utilities and their increasing use have made the time spent on mobile phones rise drastically.

Creating a mobile-friendly website is one key marketing strategy for eCommerce. Consumers want to comfortably scroll through your website and products quickly and comfortably from their phones.

• Mobile internet usage has surpassed desktop usage

The use of mobile has over the years surpassed the use of any other gadget. Especially when it comes to internet usage. The internet user on mobile spends on average 155 minutes online, almost five times more than a desktop user.

Since the bulk of internet users access the internet with their mobile phones, basic logic dictates that this set is made a priority when designing an eCommerce website's user interface and mapping out the user experience.

• Google favors mobile-optimized websites

In April 2015, Google announced it would update its algorithm to be more mobile-friendly. This meant Google preferred mobile-optimized websites, and if your website is not in the category, it does not get a good ranking from Google.

With a low Google ranking, your website would not be optimized in Google searches. Google took this step in 2015 because the number of users operating from mobile phones increased and has kept increasing. Mobile-first web designs have become a must in the present day, especially if you are involved in eCommerce, as creating traffic is key to your business.

Benefits of Mobile-First Design

Mobile-first design provides a better user experience to consumers, which should be a core mandate for all eCommerce brands, but they also offer other benefits in the form of:

• Increased scalability across different devices

Mobile-first designs are the easiest to modify to accommodate other devices. The format is always concise and straightforward, focusing more on content.

Across all devices, users get the same exact experience, unlike when using a desktop-version website scaled down to a mobile version. The entire website has to be modified and rearranged.  So it is easier for brands to start their design from a mobile version and make it scalable across other devices.

• Improved user experience

User experience has been at the forefront of this post because it is often the difference between making conversions or getting random visitors who do not add value to your brand.

With a mobile-first design, there is less space to maneuver. Consequently, brands are economical and prioritize the essential content of their website. This makes it functional and more efficient for end-users.

A beautiful and minimalistic design website goes a long way in improving user experience and can boost the chances of retaining visitors to a platform.

• Boosts SEO ranking

Another benefit for using mobile-first is the Google preferences for mobile-first websites. Google's crawl bots consider and rank mobile-first websites before desktop version websites in Google searches.

Decent search ranking puts your eCommerce business in an advantageous position as their website pops up in searches easily and gets consumer attention.

• Increased revenue 

Since the main aim of eCommerce is to make a profit, a mobile-first website is more accessible and less economical to manage. It also increases the audience a brand can reach out to.

Using a mobile-first website means you have an improved user experience, which makes the number of visitors to the platform increase exponentially, translating to a higher chance of securing a purchase and getting long-term customers.

When creating an eCommerce website, the key is to create a platform that adds value to consumers on all devices without breaking the bank.

AllValue delivers a mobile-first design platform to eCommerce brands. Thus, eCommerce businesses spend less on building the website and can channel the saved resources to other avenues that can grow the brand. AllValue is so easy to use that one does not need to be a web design expert in using this service, and the most amazing part is you get a 90-day free trial whenever you create your eCommerce website. It is about getting value for your money.