- Make sure your search autocompletes with images as well as words
- Make sure pinch and expand movements allow images to be zoomed in and out
- Ensure your filters don’t close every time a selection is made
- Maintain filter selection and scroll position on collection pages when a user navigates backwards from a product page
- Bring one review higher up the product page
- Make sure your variant selectors are big enough for a thumb on product pages
- Consider a sticky add to basket button
Below you will find some tips for conversion rate optimisation of your e-commerce store. Whilst these are all best practices, it’s important to A/B test the ones that aren’t straightforward usability improvements to ensure your target audience responds well to them.
1. Make sure your search autocompletes with images as well as words
Mobile users are likely to type less into a search bar as the friction is higher than typing on desktop. This makes autocomplete even more important on mobile than it is on desktop.
Adding pictures to your suggestions lets users make a quick decision without having to go to the search results page, removing a step in the process and improving navigation.
2. Make sure pinch and expand movements allow images to be zoomed in and out
Mobile users don’t want to be trying to hit a small zoom icon. It is more intuitive for them to use a pinch/expand motion to zoom into images. Enabling this helps to narrow the knowledge gap (the difference between what a user knows and what they need to know to use your website).
3. Ensure your filters don’t close every time a selection is made
On desktop, automatically applying filters after each selection can be convenient.
On mobile, however, it often forces users to repeatedly reopen the filter panel to apply multiple criteria. Allow users to make several selections before returning to the product list.
4. Maintain filter selections and scroll position on collection pages when a user navigates backwards from a product page
It may not be e-commerce, but a well-known travel app I use regularly disregards my filters once I’ve viewed a property and gone back to the list, which is highly annoying. When it does remember my filters, it may not always remember where I was in the list. It’s a good thing for them that I keep trying because I love to travel so much! If my motivation wasn’t as high, I would simply uninstall the app.
Losing a user’s place after they’ve viewed a product forces them to repeat work they’ve already done. On mobile, where scrolling through long product lists is slower, this can be particularly frustrating and may cause users to abandon your site altogether.
5. Bring one review higher up the product page
Because mobile screens show far less information at once, users are less likely to reach reviews positioned near the bottom of the page.
Bringing a standout review closer to the product title or add to basket button helps show social proof earlier, increasing the likelihood it will be seen.
6. Make sure your variant selectors are big enough for a thumb on product pages
Tiny variant pickers or dropdowns for things such as colour, and size that are difficult to select from cause friction on mobile as it can be easy to select the wrong option. It also gives off a less than modern appearance which can cause trust issues in some users.
7. Consider a sticky add to basket button, but not if it leaves very little room on the page
Space is highly valuable on mobile; every element you add to a product page vies for attention. Sticky elements (ones that stay on the page as the user scrolls) are helpful for making sure key actions are always available such as chatting to an AI bot. A sticky add to basket/cart button works well in theory as it is in prime position for the user’s thumb, making the action seem like a good one to take due to its ease.
But there are so many sicky options now that it can quickly become overwhelming for users. Test using a sticky add to basket button thoroughly before implementing it across your site for good.
Summary
Most tips for optimising on mobile are to do with usability. People behave differently on mobile than they do on desktop and you need to adapt the user interface to accommodate for this. Additionally, the longer, slimmer page on mobile can create disinterest if it isn’t structured correctly.
I have seen plenty of sites where the mobile performance lags behind. But I’ve also seen sites where it outperforms desktop, meaning poor performance on mobile isn’t just ‘the way it is’. You can achieve similar or even better results on mobile, often with just a few little tweaks.
For help with mobile conversion rate optimisation for your e-commerce store, get in touch with us.
Hi, I’m Charlotte. I love writing about user psychology and tips I’ve picked up from leading user research and CRO projects. Get in touch if you’d like to work with me to improve the user experience on your site or click here to learn more about your future CRO team.