Whether you’re a Canadian-based business, or one looking to expand to Canada, having a seamless mobile shopping experience is essential for businesses looking to tap into the growing eCommerce market in Canada.
Mobile sales in Canada generated $19 billion in income in 2020 and this number is expected to reach $32 billion in 2023.
As a business owner, it’s crucial to understand the importance of mobile optimization and how it can impact your bottom line. A seamless mobile shopping experience can make all the difference between a happy customer who will return and a frustrated one who takes their business elsewhere.
In this article, we’ll guide you through the process of creating a seamless mobile shopping experience for Canadian customers. Follow our tips, and you’ll be on the fast track to growing in the booming eCommerce market and reaping the rewards.
Get ready to take your website to the next level to Understanding the Importance of Mobile Optimization for Canadian Customers
The Increase in Mobile Shopping in Canada
The increase in mobile shopping in Canada is nothing short of phenomenal. With the widespread use of smartphones and tablets, consumers can now shop on the go, anytime, from anywhere.
In fact, according to a recent survey, 60% of Canadian consumers prefer to use their mobile devices to make purchases.
This shift towards mobile shopping is a trend that is only set to continue, with predictions suggesting that by 2024, the Canadian eCommerce market will be worth US$75.55bn.
This growth in the mobile shopping market presents a huge opportunity, making it essential for businesses to optimize their websites for mobile, and to provide great customer service.
The Impact of a Poor Mobile Shopping Experience
It's a common experience that many people can relate to - dealing with the annoyance of a poorly designed mobile layout. From slow loading times to confusing navigation, or even fonts that are too small to read, it can be a total nightmare.
What was supposed to be a quick purchase ends up leading to frustration, and the decision to never purchase from that business again.
You’ve really only got one chance to win over your customers. If they’re unhappy, confused, or annoyed, they’ll be taking their money elsewhere. This is why things like strong customer service, having a good omnichannel marketing strategy in place, and creating an optimized shopping experience are essential for your store’s success.
By nailing your customers’ mobile shopping experience, you’re taking a vital step to ensure a better and more consistent user experience across the board.
A poor mobile shopping experience has the potential to impact your bottom line, as frustrated customers are likely not going to return, and may even leave negative reviews and spread the word about their bad experience.
This can damage your brand reputation and result in a loss of credibility, making it harder to attract new customers in the future.
So if you weren’t already sure, it should now be clear how important a seamless mobile shopping experience can be for your eCommerce store.
Let’s go even further and take a look at some of the benefits of a Seamless Mobile Shopping Experience for Canadian Customers
Increased Customer Satisfaction
According to a Google survey, 82% of mobile shoppers expect a website to load in under 5 seconds. Customers who have a positive experience while shopping on their mobile devices are more likely to return and make future purchases. This can result in a significant increase in repeat business and customer loyalty.
Improved Customer Engagement
Pew Research Center found that 91% of American shoppers under 50 buy things online using a smartphone. When customers have a smooth and hassle-free shopping experience, they are more likely to spend more time browsing and making purchases on your website. Couple this with amazing customer service, and this can lead to higher conversion rates and more sales for your business.
Brand Image and Reputation
A Google study showed that 89% of consumers are likely to recommend a brand after a positive brand experience on mobile. Nail your mobile experience, and customers will associate your brand with a positive and enjoyable shopping experience, which can increase brand recognition and drive future business. With a well-optimized mobile shopping experience and consistent omnichannel marketing strategy, your business can stand out in a crowded market and establish a strong brand identity.
Strategies to Create a Positive Mobile Shopping Experience
1. Optimize Your Website for Mobile
Ensuring that your website is optimized for mobile devices is crucial for providing customers with a fast and easy shopping experience. Here are some ways you can do this:
Simplify your site navigation:
- Navigation should be straightforward, allowing customers to easily access the products or services they are looking for without any hassle.
- Make sure everything is easy to read, without the customer having to zoom in to find where they want to go.
Make information easy to find:
- If your customer wants to learn more about a product, add in expandable product images so that their questions can be answered and they can move on and make their purchase.
- Implement a simplified search function that allows customers to quickly find what they are looking for.
- Use filters to narrow down search results and make it easy for customers to add items to their cart.
Simplify the checkout process:
- Streamline the number of steps required to complete a purchase, reduce the amount of information needed to be filled out by the customer, and make sure your payment options are user-friendly.
- Consider using a mobile wallet service like Apple Pay or Google Pay.
- Make sure any directions or buttons are clear! A clear ‘BUY NOW’ button and appropriately sized call-to-actions go a long way.
Put your new changes to the test by using tools like Google's Mobile-Friendly Test to check if your website is truly mobile-friendly. By optimizing your website for mobile, you can ensure that your customers will have a positive shopping experience, leading to increased engagement, higher conversion rates, and ultimately, more sales.
2. Offer Mobile-Specific Deals and Promotions
One of the key strategies for winning customers over through their mobile shopping experience is offering mobile-specific deals and promotions.
By providing customers with exclusive deals and promotions that are only available through their mobile devices, businesses can incentivize customers to shop on their mobile sites and make them happy. This can also help to create a sense of urgency and encourage customers to make a purchase quickly.
If you can, use existing account info to reduce the amount of data entry your customers have to input. By making it possible for customers to return to their shopping cart on their mobile or desktop, you’ll have created an omnichannel marketing strategy where you can re-target your past customers everywhere they hang out on their devices!
You might also offer rewards points or a loyalty program, which customers can use to redeem discounts and other perks. By incentivizing customers to shop on their mobile devices, businesses can build a strong and loyal customer base.
3. Some Additional Strategies to Test
Try some of these other tips for size to see how much you can continue to fine-tune your customers’ mobile shopping experience.
- Use high-quality, small-size images: Ensure your product images are high-quality and optimized for mobile devices. Large, high-resolution images can slow down the loading time of your website, so it's important to use compressed images that still maintain their quality.
- Implement social proof: Incorporate customer reviews, ratings, and testimonials to provide social proof for your products. This can help increase trust and confidence in your brand, leading to more sales.
- Provide live chat support: Offer live chat support to answer any customer questions or concerns in real time. This can help reduce shopping cart abandonment rates and increase customer satisfaction. You can also tap into advancements in AI and use a customer service chatbot so your potential customers can get exactly what they need to know while browsing!
- Conduct a mobile audit: Conduct a thorough audit of your mobile site to identify any issues that may be hindering the user experience. You can use tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console to analyze your site's performance and identify areas that need improvement.
- Hire a consultant: Consider hiring a consultant who specializes in mobile optimization to help you identify areas for improvement and implement strategies to enhance the mobile shopping experience.
Bottom Line
If you're an eCommerce business owner here in Canada, it's time you prioritize the mobile shopping experience of your customers.
With a predicted $32 billion in sales in 2023 through mobile devices, you can’t afford to be missing out. With increased customer satisfaction, improved customer engagement, and enhanced brand image and reputation, the rewards of a well-optimized mobile shopping experience are simply too good to pass up.
In the world of eCommerce, competition is fierce, but with a seamless mobile shopping experience, you can set yourself apart and win the hearts of Canadian customers.
Looking to further refine your competitive advantage with the power of AI? Check out this blog for more useful insights to help you grow your eCommerce store!
