Why Businesses Must Prioritise Mobile Users

Mobile devices like smartphones and tablets have become indispensable to people’s lives. Mobile internet usage has exploded in recent years; 87% of UK adults now own a smartphone. Mobile has overtaken desktop to become the most common way of getting online. With such high mobile penetration, businesses must optimise their online presence for these devices if they want to engage today’s always-connected consumers.

Optimise Your Website for Mobile

With the majority of web traffic now coming from mobile, having a mobile-friendly website is crucial. If your site is difficult to navigate or read on a smartphone, users will quickly click away. Mobile-first design best practices state that having a dedicated mobile site or app to provide the optimal experience is critical. Using responsive web design means your site will adapt seamlessly to any device.

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Here are some effective strategies for improving mobile website loading speed:

Optimise photos – Compress image file sizes and formats without compromising quality. Use responsive images that load differently sized files for mobile vs desktop.
Minify CSS, JavaScript and HTML – Remove unnecessary whitespace, comments and formatting to reduce file size.
Use caching – Store static assets like images, CSS and JS in the browser cache so they don’t have to be re-downloaded each time. Configure proper cache headers.
Reduce redirects – Eliminate unnecessary redirects. Each one adds latency.
Enable compression – Use Gzip compression on text-based files like HTML, CSS, JS and JSON.
Eliminate render-blocking resources – Resources like CSS/JS that block webpage rendering should be loaded asynchronously or deferred.
Prioritise critical resources – Load CSS/JS resources needed for page rendering first before other assets.
Optimise web fonts – Limit the number and file size of web fonts which require extra time to load and process.
Server optimisation – Use a content delivery network (CDN) and ensure your server is optimised for performance.
Avoid broken links – Fix or remove broken links and errors which slow things down.
Load third-party assets last – Embed third-party plugins/widgets like social media last after your core content.
Test on real mobile devices – Test site speed across different devices and connections for real user experience.

The key is analysing page load waterfall charts to identify and prioritise the biggest pain points. Continually monitoring mobile site speed helps maintain optimal performance.

Focus on Local Search

Location-based search is massive on mobile. Over half of smartphone users look for local information on their device daily. Ensure your Google My Business listing is complete and optimised. Hyperlocal marketing tactics like geotargeting can help you connect with nearby customers. Push notifications can alert users to special offers when they are near your physical premises. Integrate maps so customers can easily find your store.

Personalise Messaging with Mobile Data

Mobile provides a trove of customer data to help personalise marketing. With opt-in permission, use mobile behaviours like location, browsing history and app usage to segment audiences and tailor messaging. For example, target special offers to customers when they are nearby. Make sure all messaging provides value – spam will disengage mobile users.

Test Your Mobile Customer Experience

Analyse your sales funnel and key user journeys to identify any friction points or drop-offs on mobile. Testing on real devices ensures mobile pages load correctly.

Are forms easy to fill out on a small screen?
How user-friendly is your checkout process?
Does your site re-direct to the full website without issues?

Rigorously test mobile to mimic the real customer experience.

Optimise for App Environments

If you have an app, ensure it is robust across iOS and Android devices. Test on different smartphone models. Your app needs to be fast, intuitive and deliver a seamless user experience. Promote app downloads by sharing links across your online properties and social channels. Consider app-only special offers to encourage sign-ups. Monitor app store ratings and reviews to resolve issues promptly.

Prioritise Mobile Analytics

Look at your site traffic and purchasing data to see the proportion coming from mobile vs desktop. This will quantify the importance of the mobile channel. Analyse mobile behaviour metrics – are they using smartphones at specific times of day or locations? Identify your most engaged mobile audience segments. Ongoing mobile analytics will inform your strategy and help refine marketing activities.

Satisfy Rising Mobile Commerce

With mobile now the preferred device for digital activity, ecommerce brands must facilitate mobile transactions or lose out on sales. Simplify purchases with one-click checkout and easy payments. Ensure speedy mobile page load speeds – even one second delay can damage conversions. Cater for smaller screens with image-lite optimised pages. Meet demand for mobile retail with convenient user journeys.

Mobile’s dominance as the primary digital interface makes optimising for these devices mission-critical for businesses today. By focusing on mobile-friendly website design, local search, personalised messaging, robust apps and seamless m-commerce, brands can satisfy today’s mobile-first customers.