There are two things that I have to tell you that are certainly no secret: we live in a world of convenience and we expect the most out of our technology. It is also no secret that the vast majority of us are glued to our phones and other mobile devices. We switch from app to app and then back to the original app. This visibly just used to apply to the younger generation, but we certainly live in a time where you can see anyone of any age sitting on the couch, casually scrolling through the latest mobile app on their phone or tablet while watching TV, listening to music, using their smartphone as an excuse to be antisocial, etc. Due to the fact that there is such a vast amount of us glued to our phones, it makes sense that, as a retailer—or as someone who provides a service—you want your customers to have the best possible mobile device user experience on your website. After all, keeping up with the latest design and app trends and staying on top of your competitor is crucial, when we live in a world with so much competition. Let’s take a look at some reasons to develop a positive UX for mobile marketing.
1. More Often Than not, Your Customer Is Browsing on Their Smartphone and not on a Desktop.
When designing a website, or any digital marketing or email marketing tool, the first thing we look to create is the desktop version. That is because the desktop version is larger on your screen, can carry more detail, and, therefore, probably looks more impressive. You may not always think about creating a smartphone-friendly version, which is meant for a mobile device. Sure, you cannot create a smartphone-friendly version, and have your customer open your desktop version on their mobile device or tablet. However, this means that the information they are receiving is not going to be as sharp or engaging on their device. Links on a website or an email that was specifically meant for a desktop version will more often than not be difficult to navigate, as they were not meant to be clicked on by our fingers. Your customers want to be able to navigate their online experience with ease, and by not taking the extra time to create a mobile version, you are most certainly doing the opposite of that.
2. You Are Significantly More Likely to Lose Customers if You Do not Have a Smartphone-friendly User Experience.
Like we said above, we live in the age of convenience and quick and simple design is everything. Do you really think that a user who is lounging around and browsing on their cell phone for fun, is really going to continue to try to navigate your website if it’s difficult to do so because of a complicated of slow user interface? If you’ve tried navigating a website that is meant for a desktop user on your smartphone before, you will know that it’s difficult to even press a link without pressing two or three others are the same time. We need bigger buttons and links that are made for our fingers when using mobile devices. Due to the fact that any given retailer or service provider has a vast number of competitors, offering their customers the same items and, perhaps, even at lower prices, a potential customer is not going to hang around for long. They want a relaxing experience that is easy to navigate on their smartphone or similar device. Browsing on a phone is often a way that people unwind and relax. If your website is making them do the opposite, I guarantee they will click off long before they even think about buying anything!
3. Simplicity Is Often More Appealing.
As I said before (and ask user experience designers if you don’t believe me), mobile sites and mobile marketing tools are often visually very simple. The graphics and text are both often simplified, as it just looks more visually appealing on a smaller screen to have less clutter, which makes sense. Consumers, who are often “surfing the net” just trying to relax, aren’t looking to have to read too much information or have to search in the dark corners of your website to try to find what they want. Less information and graphics also take up less bandwidth, which makes your website run faster—another huge plus. Nobody wants to wait a full minute for a website to load and, if they have to, they have likely already moved onto their next option. Developing this positive user experience for those obtaining information about your product or services from your website are much more likely to purchase if it is a smooth experience. You can have the most unique product or service in the world, but if your ad or website is not behaving when I’m sitting here just trying to relax, you can best believe I’m moving on fast. Make your text and graphics short, sweet, and visually appealing. Use the power of color, simple graphics, and keywords to really make your company stand out, and take the waiting time and the lengthy navigation away from the customer experience. You want to reign in that customer fast and keep them coming back to your easy-to-use website.
4. Social Media Is Primarily a Mobile Marketing Game.
When it comes to social media, you can bet that the vast majority of users are scrolling through it on their phones. This is especially true with mobile-focused apps like Instagram and Snapchat, where you need your smartphone or tablet in order to even post a picture. Engaging in this sort of mobile-friendly marketing can be huge for your business. Not only do mobiles make it that much easier to instantaneously share a post, product or ad, but social media apps are a great way to get the word out about your product or service and, therefore, boost your revenue. Apps such as Instagram go back to simplifying your marketing strategy; therefore, making it more effective. With just one simple photo that you can view on your smartphone or tablet as you’re casually scrolling through your feed at the end of the day, can make a big and lasting impression. (Just make sure that the photo is relevant and carefully executed, of course!)
As you can see, developing a positive UX when it comes to mobile marketing is crucial in terms of growing your business in 2019. Developing mobile-friendly versions of your ad or website is essential in order to make sure that your new, potential customers have the best user experience possible—and keep coming back for more!
