With over two billion adults spending an average of 2.8 hours on digital media using their smart devices, mobile technology has become the popular choice for many. The Daily Mail has even reported that 81% smartphone users have their phones on all the time, and use them just before they sleep and as they wake up.

It’s not hard to see why. Mobile technology is convenient and allows anyone to stay in touch, search for information and purchase goods. All of this is done at the touch of a screen. As such, the mobile revolution presents an obvious opportunity for ecommerce marketers. However, for anyone to capitalise on the mobile market they must prioritise the user’s experience. Why? Because, as you’ll discover shortly, it has an impact on ecommerce sales.

Getting the facts straight

It’s important to note that mobile devices aren’t currently the leader in ecommerce conversions. In fact, a study done in the USA found that 53% of those surveyed had never completed a purchase using their smartphone. The leading methods were still in store and desktop purchases, which had an overwhelming 78% say they’d used these forms to acquire their goods.

But does that mean mobile should be rubbished though? Not quite. Mobile’s importance is far reaching.

Window shopping is now a mobile thing

Although mobile devices aren’t the leader in direct sales, they’re the first point of contact when consumers search for products. Breaking it down, 48% of mobile users prefer using search engines, while 33% start on branded websites and 26% uses branded apps. So if your website isn’t optimised for mobile, you’ve got a serious problem on your hands, especially with that 48%.

Google gives preference to responsive sites

If your site isn’t mobile friendly, Google isn’t going to be friendly with your website either. In April 2015, the search engine giant released an algorithm termed by many as Mobilegeddon. It seeks to give preference to websites that are optimised for use on mobile. If they aren’t, they don’t rank well. So the chances of the 48% seeing the goods is pretty slim.

What about the 26% that go directly to the site?

Taking you back to the 53% who said they’d never purchased a product using a mobile device, the reasons for doing so primarily includes how difficult it is to enter purchasing information. This has been a challenge for ecommerce sites; the simplification of payment methods. If this puts people off, then how much would it irritate a user if they can barely navigate the website?

Losing customers

The fact is a site that is not mobile-friendly is at a disadvantage to one that is. In 2012 an astounding 74% of internet users said they wanted mobile friendly sites. 61% of those said they’d more than likely leave a site if it wasn’t. So if the numbers were so high in 2012 when smart technology was still penetrating the market, imagine just how many people you stand to lose if your site isn’t optimised for mobile today.