Small Businesses Need to Embrace Mobile-Friendly Technology

With almost a third of commerce transactions taking place on mobile, it’s crucial that small businesses create a mobile-friendly website and shopping experience.

The way consumers interact with businesses has been evolving rapidly over the last few years, and it all has to do with technology. 75% of U.S. mobile subscribers have a smartphone, while 42% own a tablet. Not surprisingly, Google announced in May that more searches now occur on mobile devices than desktops.

We’re shifting to a culture of “I-want-to-now” moments. Whether it’s finding an item or directions, most things can be accessed with your fingertips. If your business can’t keep up with this demand, you’re going to lose out.

What does it mean to be mobile-friendly? Mobile internet use in the US increased by 73% last year, and it’s expected to continue to rise. As consumers take to their smartphones like never before to browse and search locally, a mobile-friendly website becomes a must-have for any small business. A mobile-friendly website, is one which is optimized to be viewed on a mobile phone and has certain key features:

• Readable text without zooming
• Tap targets spaced out appropriately
• No unplayable content
• 
No horizontal scrolling

Mobile shopping on the rise Smartphone shoppers are frequent buyers, with 60% of them making a purchase on their phones at least one a month. Not only is mobile shopping becoming the norm, it’s also bringing in more revenue to businesses that embrace it. Smartphone e-commerce spending increased by 10.4% over the last year compared to 4.2% increase for desktop e-commerce.

Advantages of Embracing Mobile Technology Mobile also gives small businesses three important advantages.

1. Higher ranking on Google
   Google updated their ranking algorithm in April 2015 to include mobile-accessibility as a ranking factor. This means that if your site is not mobile-friendly, you risk dropping in search results.
2. More attention from local audiences
   94% of smartphone users conduct local searches. If your business thrives on attention from the community, being mobile-friendly can help you get noticed more. “Near me” searches have increased 34x since 2011, and most of those searches are on mobile devices. In addition to the sheer volume, 50% of smartphone users who do a local search on their device will visit the store within a day.
3. Significant ROI on mobile ad spend
   Want to know you’re putting your money in a good place? Mobile ads are noticed by 89% of smartphone users, and they’re bringing in results. Mobile ad spend has increased 169% over the last couple years, so businesses are already reaping the rewards.

Don’t Get Left Behind! Mobile users and shoppers are way ahead of small businesses when it comes to adopting mobile technology. Because of this, small businesses that don’t have a mobile-friendly site won’t be able to interact with mobile users making local searches and purchases.

With more and more transactions occurring on mobile devices, it’s time your website gets a mobile-friendly makeover so you can catch up with the competition.