We’ve all been in the situation where we’ve tried to load a webpage on our phones, only to find that the page looks something like this..
Yep, that’s right, an uninviting, uncooperative and unoptimised mobile webpage.
Despite the negativity and disappointment which surrounds this lack of optimisation, it appears that some brands still aren’t willing to invest in improving their mobile websites.
According to the following trends, mobile optimisation is definitely a worthwhile investment for brands:
- The rate of people accessing the internet via their mobiles is growing and will continue to grow at a steady pace. In fact, currently 15% of total Internet usage in Australia, is accessed solely through smartphones.
- Global trends suggest that people are buying fewer desktop computers and buying more smartphones and tablets.
- More than 1/2 of all smartphone owners in Australia use their mobiles to search and visit business websites.
Whilst some brands may be aware of these trends, it seems that some are still unable to understand the abundance of benefits that a mobile optimised website can bring.
So this begs the question, how can a mobile optimised website actually benefit a brand?
1. Increase Consumer Loyalty-Having a page which is easier to navigate and use makes consumers interaction with your brand more enjoyable. Consequently, consumers are more likely to re-visit your brand’s mobile site when enquiring about a product and eliminates the need for them to switch to a competing brand to experience a more ‘mobile-friendly’ page.
2. Strengthen/Create a Positive Brand Image-If your website is easy to use via mobile, consumers automatically generate positive connotations with your brand. When your brand offers a mobile optimised website it suggests to consumers that your brand is at the forefront of technology. It also shows consumers that your brand acknowledges their needs and requirements and cares about meeting them. This makes them feel appreciated and considered.
3. Increase Customer Purchases- The current consumer is constantly on the move and places a great emphasis on convenience. In saying that, they expect to be able to access everything through their smartphones. If your site is easy to use via mobile phone it makes your brand much more accessible to consumers, allowing them to purchase your product from any location and at any time.
Do you agree that mobile optimised sites increase your interaction with a brand?
Have you ever bought a product from a brand purely because they had a more ‘mobile-friendly’ site than their competitor?
Reference List
(1) Mobile phone internet usage trends sourced from https://yump.com.au/blog/2014-australian-mobile-statistics-why-a-responsive-website-is-now-a-business-necessity/
technologicaltimes.wordpress.com 
It’s the worst when I visit a site and it’s not mobile compatible! I’m a massive online shopper and even if i don’t actually buy items on my phone, more often then not i’m looking things up on there before i visit the site on my laptop (a lot of the time during lectures haha). I guess i haven’t actually bought off one site rather than another due to them having a more mobile friendly site, but at the same time i’ve found that those who do have a mobile friendly site tend to be more social media savvy also (and i’m a sucker for online boutiques, which i a lot of the time find through instagram). I honestly think it’s important to develop your website so that it works with all platforms, otherwise businesses could miss out on potential customers! – especially if they can’t access their site properly.
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You raise a really good point there Marissa. Having a website which is compatible with smartphones is important, but in order to maximise this website, brands also need to realise that it’s a great platform to promote their other forms of social media such as an Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest etc. Doing this will provide consumers with a fast and seamless link between the brands various social media outlets.
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Great post Amelia!
I’m all for mobile optimisation but what I really really can’t stand is when some code or script somewhere managers to turn my browsing online via my laptop into the mobile script! Haha I know it’s the other way round to your blog post but it’s happened to me with Facebook a couple times now and it’s frustrating!
As for mobile optimisation and purchasing…. guilty! There’s been a few times…admittedly before exams when I can’t look at notes anymore and need to get rid of nerves where I’ve purchased things online with the use of mobile optimised sites. First semester last year I managed to walk into the exam hall immediately after purchasing a camera on Etsy. Heh. So no, it’s not great for the wallet, but definitely great for the organisation! I have however found that most sites I want to purchase from lead me to the App store to download the app. I don’t know how I feel about that – but I almost always end up getting the app and turning off my cellular data for the app to save battery/stop me from using my data.
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Thanks for your thoughts Juper88!
I can’t say i’ve ever experienced a mobile optimised site on my laptop..but i can see how annoying that must be! Glad to hear your making the most of mobile optimised sites, that sure is an exciting but expensive way of dealing with nerves haha Have any idea what you’ll buy before this semesters exams?
Yes i’ve noticed that also, a lot of brands are trying to encourage consumers to use their app rather than their mobile page. In your experience, do the brands that are promoting their app have a mobile optimised website? Or are they using the app to make up for their lack of a ‘mobile-friendly’ site?
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I had this trouble yesterday when I visited a non-mobile optimised website. I’d try to click on links and be redirected to something that I did not want. It was a major pain, then you try to zoom in and end up clicking on something else. I think when you’re on a website that has an online store it is essential that they have their website mobile optimised. The increasing number of people who shop using their smart phones is reason enough. It’s a growing environment and businesses need to catch up.
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Such a great point! It’s even more of a pain if your accessing the site via your data and not wifi. Basically every time you’re redirected to a site you don’t want to go, it takes up time and this takes up your data usage and that’s never fun 😦 Just before i was trying to access Monash’s wifi through my phone…funnily enough the log-in page i was directed to wasn’t mobile optimised, it’s just a hassle!
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I totally agree that mobile optimisation is the way to go. I hate having to zoom in on sites just to read their menu options! I’ve never actually bought anything from my phone cause I’m still a bit old school but if I did I would definitely do so on a mobile compatible site!
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Thanks for your thoughts Lisa! Yea i definitely recommend using mobile optimised sites when you start purchasing things via your mobile phone…makes it so much easier and less room for error!
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Yep, I agree fully. I’d also like the mobile versions however to have every element that the main page does. Sometimes I can’t get into settings on a mobile optimised site so I have to switch to the full site. There are challenges in compacting all of the information into a mobile site though there are ways to do it. It doesn’t surprise me that rivers don’t have their’s optimised for mobiles, I think they offer combo deals on sandals and socks too hah
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Such a valid point. To be honest i only noticed this recently Chris-that some mobile webpages don’t provide all of the options that the original webpage does. Whilst brands are getting there, it seems that they’re still not quite fulfilling consumers needs. As you mentioned through, there are ways of including everything in the mobile site, so let’s hope that brands will start doing this soon!
When writing the post i was trying to think of a brand which wouldn’t have an optimised site and for some reason Rivers came into my head – i suppose i though of Rovers because i don’t view it as an up-to-date brand. In my eyes, mobile friendly website are certainly only evident through brands at the forefront of technology.
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It is one of the most frustrating things to come across when you visit a web page that is not compatible to smart phones. I always zoom in to see information and somehow click on something else so the whole page diverts to whatever i pressed. I have to agree, my interaction with a brand is significantly increased when it is mobile optimised. And I give up way to quickly when they are not. I have even found on some websites when you zoom in to read the tiny print, the links to different parts of the website don’t follow the zoom so I have to zoom out again to click on the tab I am looking for – sooooo annoying and time wasting!!! Great points on how mobile optimised websites can benefit a brand. I think Rivers needs to read this blog for some ideas!!!
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I can honestly relate to everything you just said about your experience with unoptimised mobile sites, i feel you pain! Like you, i’m so impatient with the sites, that if they are too difficult for me to work i will simply give up. Rivers could definitely learn a thing to two from this post 😉 haha
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I wouldn’t go as far to say that I’m more likely to interact with a business based on whether they have a mobile-optimised website as opposed to one that doesn’t, but it really is frustrating to search a business on your phone only to see a website that doesn’t work properly!
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I suppose it’s all a person thing. Naturally, ‘unfriendly’ mobile sites annoy some people more than others! From all of the comments i’ve received on this post one thing is clear…unoptimised mobile sites make everyone frustrated!! haha
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The thing that shocks me the most is the fact that often it is renowned companies that do not have a mobile optimised site!! I’ve been doing quite a bit of online shopping lately and have noticed that I am very impatient when it comes to sites that are not optimised for mobile. Most of the time i end up losing my searches or payment just becomes too hard, meaning i simply just exit the page. Sometimes I will switch to my laptop but often frustration just gets the better of me and i’m done !
In this day and age it really is something all companies need to ensure
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Like you, i’m always surprised when i access a popular brand’s site on my phone and find that its not mobile optimised. I actually don’t understand how well-known companies don’t realise the need for it. Hopefully brands improve their sites so that your online shopping becomes a more manageable task 🙂
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