If this article is hitting home for you, it’s time to sit down with your team and go to the drawing board. There are several mobile commerce options to consider.
Will you finally make a fully responsive website that displays correctly on all devices and screen sizes? While some B2Bs adopted responsive web design long ago, others are just dipping their toes in the water. If that’s where you are, it’s okay. Adopting a responsive template for your website is a great place to start. It is also a step you should not put off any longer.
If you have already mastered responsive design for your eCommerce business, perhaps it is time to take your efforts a step further with a mobile-first design. That means the design of your website begins on mobile, and then features are expanded to accommodate tablets and desktops. Because mobile design has more restrictions, this strategy is more effective than creating a desktop-first website that has to be dumbed down for mobile use.
If you’re really serious and have the resources to do so, consider creating a full-fledged mobile commerce app. Mobile users are used to receiving push notifications from apps, so why not add yours to the mix? This is a good way to keep your brand top-of-mind while enhancing customer service. You can remind customers that it’s time to reorder or that their payment is about to be processed.
Releasing a mobile commerce app to the public is also a good opportunity to create a buzz about your expanded digital offerings. Once the app is live, promote it on your social channels and send out a media release. (It wouldn’t be as exciting to share news about your company moving to a responsive template. If anything, it would highlight that you are behind the curve).
Progressive web applications (PWAs) are another option for B2Bs seeking a mobile-savvy presence. PWAs look and function like smartphone applications, however, they are accessed through a mobile browser. This eliminates the need to download a separate mobile app while still providing benefits like a sleek look and fast load times.
Regardless of which mobile commerce approach you take, special consideration should be given to the checkout process. Time-consuming payment processes create a bottleneck for mobile buyers. At best, they will complete the purchase and never return again. At worst, they will abandon their shopping cart (still never to return again). You want your shoppers to cross the finish line, and research shows that providing an instant purchase option helps take them there.
