In recent weeks, I have spent quite a bit of time with my two children doing “Back-to-School” shopping. This included some “online” homework for local sales and available inventory. As I am in the advertising and marketing industry, it sometimes fails to occur to me that not every business has online aspects that are user friendly. I find myself extremely frustrated as a consumer when the online or mobile experience is tedious and time consuming. As a consumer, I want the experience to be easy and save me time and money.
I am not the only consumer using a smartphone while “Back-to-School” shopping; this infographic show’s 78% of smartphone users are doing the same thing.
Three tips to ensure your consumers are getting the best possible experience with your online or mobile efforts:
- Ensure your website is mobile responsive. When your website is loaded on a mobile device, such as a smart phone or tablet, does your website shrink to microscopic text, or does it just show a small corner of the landing page? The consumer experience should be very simple and easy to read and navigate.
- Include relevant content across all aspects. If a consumer is searching for “school supplies” and an ad displaying notebooks, pencils, and school glue is clicked on, the landing page then should not display bedding, pots and pans, and household items. The content of the landing page, ad creative, and the keywords (search terms) should all be cohesive and relevant for a seamless consumer experience.
- Think consistency, accuracy, and simplicity. The combination of consistent pricing, accurate descriptions, and the simplicity of crisp, clean images are key.
There are numerous products, services, and agencies to help navigate all of the technical aspects of website designs and marketing in the never ending world of technology, but the one thing that will never change is that consumer experience – whether good, bad, or somewhere in between – will impact the bottom line.