21 Tips to Beat the Average Mobile Ecommerce Conversion Rate

Mobile ecommerce, or mobile commerce, is emerging as a crucial channel for businesses to reach and engage with their customers, especially in the past few years. 

However, achieving a high conversion rate on mobile devices remains a challenge. Despite increasing mobile adoption, the average conversion rate for mobile ecommerce is half (1.8%) what it is on desktop (3.9%). Bridging this gap in conversion is good business.

So, how do you beat the average mobile ecommerce conversion rate (and drive more revenue)? Read on and find out.

With 5.22 Billion Mobile Users, Fixing Mobile Conversion Rates Should Be Your Top Priority

Perhaps it’s the bigger screen that makes them more sure of the purchase. When you’re online shopping, it’s typically easier to click around a website on a laptop. 

Whether you’re searching for the return policy, browsing through different payment options, or the checkout process, online shoppers seem to have an easier time taking out their credit cards on desktops.

This does not mean mobile apps aren’t important, far from it.

1. Mobile dominates online traffic. According to SalesCycle, 75% of online traffic is mobile. In almost any industry, mobile is leading in traffic, and not by little. Purchasing decisions are only going to become more mobile-driven. And scrolling? It might even be a sport. 
2. The number of mobile users is currently at 5.22 billion and is growing. Global ecommerce is also growing and is worth over USD 6 trillion. This means mobile ecommerce is looking at an upward trend for the foreseeable future. More potential customers are going to come from mobile than any other source. 

That’s why fixing mobile conversion rates should be your top priority. 

These trends also won’t slow down any time soon:

1. Rise of Buy-Now-Pay-Later: Customers increasingly embrace the buy-now-pay-later model, indicating a shift in payment preferences.
2. Relevance of Recommendations: Smartphone users strongly favor purchasing from websites and apps that provide relevant product recommendations, highlighting the importance of personalized experiences.
3. Voice Search Influence: Mobile customers actively engage with brands that utilize voice search functionality, emphasizing the need for voice-enabled experiences on mobile apps.
4. Data Privacy and Collection: With the rise of GDPR policies, gathering zero-party data (data collected with explicit customer consent) will become a top priority for businesses aiming to enhance personalization and customer trust.

What is a Good Mobile Ecommerce Conversion Rate?

On average, ecommerce conversion rates typically range from 2.5% to 3%. However, the average conversion rate for ecommerce on mobile is only around 1.8%.

The benchmark for converting mobile shoppers is a lot lower than for desktop or for ecommerce in general. That also means that there’s a lot more room to grow.

What Mobile Ecommerce Conversion Metrics Should You Track?

The right metrics depend on your objectives. Choose the most helpful metric for your mobile commerce goals.

Here is a list of mobile ecommerce conversion metrics you can track for your CRO:

• Push notifications opt-in (consent to push notifications)
• App engagement or retention rate (returns after the first visit)
• App log-ins (times they log into the app in a set period)
• Cart abandonment rate
• Average order value
• Bounce rate
• Page or product views
• Time spent in app

Top Tips to Beat the Average Mobile Ecommerce Conversion Rate of 1.8%

Let’s explore best practices to optimize your mobile ecommerce conversion rates. Focusing on creating a better customer experience, particularly on mobile, is key to getting a higher conversion rate.

A large part of this is to build better, more optimized PDPs (product detail pages). If you want to dive deeper into this topic, our Ultimate Guide to Ecommerce PDPs is the best resource for this on the internet.

Here are 21 strategies to significantly improve your mobile ecommerce conversion rate and close the mobile-desktop conversion rate gap. 

1. Create a Mobile App

If you don’t already have an app, now’s the best time to create one.

Mobile apps are tailor-made to generate more conversions, as well as a range of other benefits. By removing the browser tabs and serving a more immersive, contained shopping experience, you remove a lot of the distractions that often result in lost sales.

If you think that the cost of developing a mobile app is out of the question for your store, think again. By simply converting your existing website into a mobile app with MobiLoud, you can launch an app for a small expense, in as little as two weeks.

Visit our homepage to learn how to convert your website into an app, and if you have any questions or you’re ready to learn more, click here to schedule a free demo.

2. Make Call-to-Action Buttons Stand Out

Optimizing your calls to action (CTAs) is important for your CRO strategy. Test and analyze various elements of your ecommerce CTAs, such as buy and add-to-cart buttons, to stop your customers from scrolling – a different challenge than stopping website visitors in their tracks.

Utilizing tools like HotJar can help track the effectiveness of your buttons. Make your buttons visible and “sticky” to improve mobile conversion rates.

3. Make Navigation as Easy as Possible

When designing your mobile app’s navigation panel, use a layered format for important icons. Make navigation a whole lot easier.

You can also line up the most important product categories in the navigation panel to highlight the products you want to sell the most first. Highlighting specific products enhances the user experience but also increases conversions.

Including a wishlist, cart, product filters, and account buttons is also valuable. A wishlist helps your business track your mobile audience's preferences and conversion patterns.

On top of this, you might want to think about accessibility as well. Consider including a voice search feature to navigate around your mobile app to increase mobile conversions. The key is to make buying your products on mobile as easy as possible!

4. Show Product Recommendations

Displaying product recommendations on your top-performing mobile product pages is an effective strategy to boost your average order value through cross-selling and upselling. You can also show product recommendations to your users through their account dashboard, push notifications, or in-app pop-ups.

Mobile apps often have limited screen space. Optimize the placement and design of these product recommendations. Leverage user data and browsing history to offer personalized product suggestions and enhance mobile shopping experiences to increase conversions.

5. Optimize Load Speed

Reduce load times and optimize the speed of your mobile store to improve CRO. How? 

Reduce app launch time by delaying resource-intensive tasks until after the first screen is rendered — load data when required instead of when the app launches. You can also resize and compress images to reduce file size to improve app performance and load times.

6. Simplify Mobile Forms

Mobile forms should be simple to fill out by design – from sign-up forms to booking forms. Optimize mobile forms with clear labels and use single-column layouts & larger form fields.

Additionally, forms should be as concise as possible to minimize user effort and make them easy to complete on mobile devices. Minimize user errors and frustration. Smartphone features like credit card, passport, or ID scanning can speed up data entry.

Well-designed mobile forms can improve conversion rates. They minimize friction, provide clear instructions to users, and reduce the likelihood of cart abandonment.

7. Shorten Mobile Processes With Smartphone Features

Design your app to make autofill available, especially for payment details and mobile forms. Autofill can also save users time and make checkout processes quicker. This helps to recover abandoned carts.

Customers are more likely to convert when processes are within four minutes. 66% of consumers expect online checkout to take four minutes or less.

8. Provide Different Payment Methods

Entering payment details on a mobile device can be time-consuming. Offer shortcuts by saving customer payment details or providing alternative payment options like PayPal, Amazon Pay, Apple Pay, or Google Pay. Simplify checkout by reducing the information users need to enter.

Offering alternative payment options is central to a seamless shopping experience. Expedite the payment process. Make it fast, hassle-free, and smooth for mobile shoppers to improve mobile ecommerce conversion rates.

9. Offer Guest Checkout

To reduce friction for mobile customers, offer a guest checkout option. Allow users to complete their purchase without creating an account.

Eliminate an additional step that may deter customers from completing their purchases. Improve the overall user experience and increase conversion rates by removing unnecessary barriers to checkout.

10. A/B Test Your Checkout Process

Optimize your ecommerce checkout process and prevent customer drop-offs by tweaking and testing the process continuously. A long and complicated checkout process can deter customers from completing their purchases.

Identify customer pain points and make the checkout process as frictionless as possible. While there are industry standards, it's essential to tailor the process based on your specific customer base on mobile to improve conversions.

11. Use Mobile Conversion Messaging

To increase mobile commerce sales, you should test messaging. Send messages in real-time after a cart has been abandoned or when users have hit add-to-cart!

You can also use countdown timers in your mobile app. Sending reminders can also keep the brand in mind, especially about loyalty points, and increase mobile ecommerce conversions.

12. Use Color Blocks to Highlight Promotions

Implement color block items to highlight ongoing sales in your mobile storefront. Make it stand out! Use vibrant and eye-catching colors for sale items to help them stand out, create a sense of urgency, and catch the attention of mobile shoppers.

This visual distinction is crucial in a digital landscape saturated with numerous sales and promotions. You could also use a pop-up or push notification to improve mobile conversions!

13. Build Trust With Mobile Audience

Design your mobile app with trust signals in mind. According to Marqeta’s 2021 Fraud Report, 67% of all consumers think shopping online puts them at a higher risk of scams.

To increase trust, ensure all mobile data is safe by offering user authentication, displaying your data privacy policy, and displaying trusted payment methods. You can also remind users to reset their passwords. Making the buying experience safe can build trust in your brand and improve mobile conversions.

14. Let Users Zoom and Swipe

The performance of image carousels designed for desktops often falls short. Mobile shoppers instinctively pinch and zoom in on product images, seeking a closer look at the details. If this functionality is unavailable or poorly implemented, it can disappoint users and drive them away from your app.

Provide a seamless zoom experience for product images to improve mobile conversions and engage mobile shoppers. Allow users to examine the finer details to enhance their overall shopping experience and increase their level of engagement. Additionally, ensure that the thumbnails are adequately sized and spaced. Make it effortless for users to tap and view the full-size image. 

Lastly, allowing users to swipe through images effortlessly can improve the user experience. One study even demonstrated that shopping apps that use swiping technology allowed users to retain information better and encouraged repeat visits. Optimize image zoom and swipe functionalities to improve mobile ecommerce conversions.

15. Let Users Go ‘Back’ Easily

The 'back' button is more important than you think. When shoppers press the back button, they expect to be taken back to the previous page they were on. This is why you should design a 'previously viewed products' feature.

A ‘back‘ button often leads users to the previous page without the applied filters or search criteria. This can disrupt the shopping experience as shoppers need to reapply the filters, causing frustration and interruption.

Allow shoppers to access their recent browsing history easily. Reduce reliance on the 'back' button and eliminate the need to repeat searches or reapply filters. This decreases cart abandonment and improves mobile ecommerce conversion rates.

16. Good Copy and Product Descriptions Matter

Persuasive copy, detailed, and easy to skim are important for in-app messaging. Readability is everything.

Use language that appeals to your target audience. Address your customers' pain points and highlight how your product can solve their problems. Sell the whole package — not just the product itself but also the solution, lifestyle, or feeling it can provide.

For products like furniture and clothes, include important information such as:

• Dimensions,
• Sizing (with links to size guides if applicable),
• Materials or ingredients,
• Compatibility details,
• Included accessories.

Be concise to convert! Also, correct spelling and grammar. Neglecting tiny details in in-app copy can erode credibility, brand image, and customer trust, leading to fewer mobile conversions. Bridge the gap with simple copy changes. 

17. Create Mobile-Only Exclusive Coupons, Discounts, and Offers

Creating special promotions for mobile users can incentivize mobile users and website visitors to purchase through your mobile app.

Mobile-only promotions, such as free shipping, can create a sense of exclusivity and urgency. This drives customers to act and purchase on their mobile devices. Whether it's a limited-time discount, a coupon code, or a special offer for mobile users, these incentives can boost mobile ecommerce conversion rates.

18. Improve Post-Purchase Mobile Experience

Improving the post-purchase mobile experience can improve your ecommerce CRO on mobile. Allowing customers to track the progress of their orders easily is one way of doing this.

Offer real-time updates on its status and estimated delivery time via push notifications or messages in their mobile account. Improve the overall customer experience. You can also provide product suggestions based on the customer's purchase history.

Lastly, you can make the return and refund process easy on mobile. Provide a space in your mobile app to initiate returns or request refunds. Minimize customer frustration and buying friction to improve mobile ecommerce rates.

19. Make Reviews and Social Proof Visible

The attention span of mobile users decreases by 88% each year. So, it’s important to establish credibility from the moment your user enters your ecommerce store — when they launch your mobile app.

Include expert testimonials or social proof below product descriptions to highlight your product’s benefits or a few scrolls down near your CTA button to improve mobile ecommerce conversions. Mobile users are often short on time, so keep it short!

20. Offer In-App Customer Support

You can offer in-app customer support through chatbots or chat support software. Quickly answer user questions over your mobile app and eliminate long wait times on the phone and during off-hours. Speed is everything here.

Did you know? 77% of people won't wait longer than six hours for an email reply. Getting back to your mobile app users in time is key to a great customer experience and CRO, boosting your mobile ecommerce conversion rates.

21. Personalize In-App Experience

We’ve seen it on desktop — personalization can influence a consumer's journey towards purchasing. This is true for any device.

80% of consumers are more inclined to purchase when brands provide personalized experiences.

Personalization strategies can range from how content is displayed in the customer's local language or currency to product recommendations. Tailored in-app experiences ultimately drive higher conversions, improve customer satisfaction, and improve app engagement.

Increase Mobile Commerce Conversions and Optimize CRO with MobiLoud

By following these tips to beat the average mobile ecommerce conversion rates, businesses can optimize their mobile commerce conversions beyond the average and improve their overall CRO efforts. Take your mobile commerce conversions to the next level and optimize your CRO strategy; we're here to help.

All ecommerce businesses should create their own mobile app, and MobiLoud is the best way to do it.

MobiLoud requires little to no effort from you, minimal overhead, minimal investment, yet allows you to ship a full-featured app that looks and feels like a fully native, custom app.

We've created thousands of apps, including apps for numerous high-revenue ecommerce brands such as rue21, Jack & Jones and John Varvatos.

Let’s beat the average mobile ecommerce conversion rate and boost mobile conversions together — get a free preview of your app and request a demo now.