Mobile, mobile, mobile. Since the internet was accessed more by mobile than by desktop last year, mobile is definitely a big deal. And it will only get bigger. However, conversion rates on desktop far exceed those of mobile, 70% to 20%, respectively. How can marketers improve mobile conversion?

Marketers must be aware that mobile devices are used much differently than desktops. Perhaps an over-arching concept of “micro-moments” should be the guiding force for mobile marketers. An effective mobile strategy works to optimize and synchronize a series of micro-moments to deliver an optimal user experience.

Here are some tactics designed to quickly impact mobile conversion:

• Speed up page loading times. Studies have shown that the longer it takes a page to load, the more users abandon the page. So it only makes sense that retention and conversion rates will improve with faster page downloads. Research from Duda found that sites with render start times (how long it takes for content to start appearing on the user’s screen) less than one second get almost 50% more mobile engagement than sites with render start times of three to four seconds. According to Google best practices, some ways to improve download times include:
  • Compressing and optimizing JavaScript.
  • Minifying CSS code and placement.
  • Minimizing image sizes; consider using CSS image sprites.
  • Prefetching page elements that require large files.
• Improve online payment transactions with one-touch payment. In a recent blog article, Rob Klein, Founder & CEO of Klein & Partners, a healthcare marketing research and brand management consulting firm, discussed the dismal state of online payment in the healthcare industry as part of the larger topic of the effect of negative website experiences on the brand. People expect the same functionalities from healthcare as they get from other industries and do not have much patience for dealing with antiquated processes from providers. One retail entity found that by integrating a one-touch payment process, along with rigorous A/B testing, its mobile sales conversion rate increased to 5% (average smartphone conversion rates were about 1.5% at the end of 2016). Consider using one-touch digital wallet platforms such as Amazon Pay, Apple Pay, Android Pay, etc.

• Revamp your lead forms with breadcrumbs and radio buttons. Mobile audiences want information and transactions to be fast. They don’t want to get bogged down filling in lengthy forms and they don’t want to give out contact information until they are sold on your organization. One company found that by asking easy-to-answer questions that don’t require giving out contact information utilizing radio buttons, they could “lead” mobile website visitors to the point of leaving their information and converting on a core offer.