To be successful in today’s hyper-competitive eCommerce environment, there is no way around it—your online store needs to have a responsive website design. Although the majority of consumers begin their shopping experience on a mobile device, conversions on a desktop still outnumber those on mobile devices.

This means that online retailers should be catering to consumers on all devices if they want their online store to compete. The easiest way to do this is with a responsive website design.

With a responsive website design, your online store’s content can be reformatted to look good on any device. Why is this so important to your business’s bottom line? Let’s take a look at some valuable points for your business.

Improved Search Rankings

Google has made it well known in the past that they recommend using a responsive web design.  Does this mean that a responsive web design is a ranking factor? Well, not directly.

However, Google does use mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal in search results, and one of the best ways for online merchants to make their site mobile-friendly is by adopting a responsive website design.

A responsive web design provides other SEO benefits as well, including a lower bounce rate. If mobile users aren’t happy with your website’s mobile configuration, then they will bounce off your page. Google will interpret this to mean that your website isn’t relevant and lower your search ranking as a result.

Increased Conversions

A customer’s path to purchase has become increasingly complex over the years. Now, consumers are using multiple devices to shop for products, and online merchants must meet their expectations on all devices if they want to maximize their conversions.

Improving your customer’s experience on multiple devices will lead to more conversions for your online store. A case study from Moz demonstrated this fact well, with one eCommerce site experiencing a 15.19 percent increase in mobile/tablet conversions after adopting a responsive web design.

One survey by Google found that 67 percent of mobile consumers said they when they visited a website that was mobile-friendly, they would be more likely to purchase from them. This same survey found that 61 percent of mobile users would leave a website immediately if they became frustrated with navigation.

The takeaway is that a responsive web design can greatly impact your conversions and bottom line.  Without one, you are giving your competition a huge advantage over your online store.

Enhances Marketing Campaigns

All the effort you put into your digital marketing campaigns is wasted if your website offers a poor user experience on certain devices. After taking the time to perfect your online store’s landing pages, why would you want to make things difficult for mobile users to view your content?

Whether users are on desktop or mobile, they need a seamless experience from the moment they enter your website. By not having a responsive web design, you are hurting the ROI of your marketing campaigns.

Take your email marketing campaign, for example. A whopping 68 percent of emails are opened on mobile devices. If your content isn’t displaying properly on mobile, chances are it’s going to get deleted, and the time you spent optimizing your marketing campaigns will have been for nothing.

Lower Design Costs

As a small business owner, every dollar needs to spent wisely. An understated benefit to a responsive web design is that it’s generally a cost-effective approach compared to other web solutions.

With a responsive design, eCommerce merchants can avoid the cost and effort of creating separate web designs for multiple devices. Not only is it cheaper to do, it’s also by far easier to manage. Creating multiple websites for different devices will take more time to manage, and time isn’t something that many online merchants have to spare.

A responsive web design is easier for everyone involved. It’s more effective for online merchants. It’s easier for Google to crawl one URL for your website. Most importantly, it’s easier for web users to consume your content.

Better UX

Everything that Google does, they do with the web user in mind. Likewise, online merchants follow Google’s lead because it benefits the consumer. What is good for the consumer is good for a business’s bottom line.

It’s the main reason why Google has pushed webmasters to adopt a responsive web design. By implementing a responsive web design, you are significantly improving the customer’s experience in multiple ways.

A site that is easy to navigate allows consumers to find what they want quickly and share it with others. If a user is consuming your content on a desktop and wants to share it with their friend on a mobile device or tablet, it needs to give them the same experience as it would on a desktop.  Otherwise, your online store could lose traffic and sales as a result.

There are many elements of website design that could frustrate users across all devices, from your menu bar to your call-to-action buttons. Implementing responsive design takes at least one hurdle out of the equation for online merchants. Not only will your customers greatly appreciate the versatile design, but they will thank you for it with their loyalty.

Conclusion

A responsive web design isn’t a trend for eCommerce websites—it’s mandatory if they want to compete. With a growing number of consumers shopping on multiple devices, it’s important that your eCommerce store adopts an adaptable web design. By doing so, your online store will be able to create a consistent experience for users across all devices and drive more sales in the process.

 

About the Author: Erika is the Chief Marketing Officer at Springbot where she leads all brand, product, marketing campaigns and communications.