Why Monetization on Mobile is Poor Even Today...

How many of you check your phones at the first break of day? I know some of my readers are shaking their heads in agreement. Well, let's be honest here - I am guilty of this too!  And yes, I could go on and on about 'life and balance, and everything in-between', but I think I'll save it for another post! [Now that, I promise, will be extremely funny and interesting. So do visit again!].  

I've been working in the web and mobile analytics field for quite sometime now, and it is no surprise as to how poorly some of our mobile conversions rank. Research proves that there is a 200+% gap between mobile and web conversions, the latter being more profitable, of course. Ever wondered why this huge gap, and why we haven't nailed the art of selling or user acquisition on our sleek mobile devices? 

Mobile is everywhere! "Cross-device, multi-platform" are the new buzz words. So how do you make this already successful and popular platform conducive for conversions? 

First, let's find out why the conversions are so low -
Not all websites are optimized for mobile platforms. Hence Responsive Design!
With that said, the concept of responsive design is still very foreign to a lot of companies. I have met several people who have asked "Responsive design? What is that?" 
Responsive design means designing a website that will automatically conform to the platform it is viewed on - whether mobile, or desktop, or tablet. The interface looks good, and provides a  consistent experience on all platforms. Using fluid widths, the design works for multiple devices. 
Although most companies may be moving towards adapting a responsive design technique, a fair number of brands and companies still haven't made that leap. 
 

Key Issues with Mobile Interfaces and Effective Solutions:

Security: 
Most users, (myself included) still feel unsafe and unsure about making purchases on the mobile device, especially with the recent rise in identity theft and security issues that most brands face. 
 

User Behavior: Measuring user behavior is key.
How a user shops and their personal preferences alone will provide a lot of data around key improvement measures. Also, an assumption that users interact exactly the same way on web and mobile would be inaccurate. 

Less is More: Waste no time - we all dislike the 'pinch and scroll' 
Overcrowded e-commerce (or m-commerce) screens or really long forms do no good to profits. A complex tedious task to process an online order can be quite frustrating. Concise, easy-to-use, and effective methods of design not only helps in increasing conversions but also helps boost customer loyalty. My favorite examples for successful shopping cart designs are Amazon (their patented one-click method), Gilt, etc. Optimizing mobile experience is essential in increasing conversion rates. 
 

Landing Pages:
The latest trend in designing landing pages has gone up significantly. These landing pages help companies market their products well. This saves time and money for companies as landing pages can be optimized for mobile platform. 
 

Search: Easy to find is always good.
How many times have we heard customers complain about website search limitations. Of course, the God of Search (Google) has definitely nailed it. However,  most brands have yet to learn about optimal search experience - especially when it comes to e-commerce sites. 
 

Lastly I cannot stress on the fact that measuring data and user behavior via User Testing can provide a clear summary of problem areas. Using the funnel approach in analytics or heat-maps (being some of the few techniques) can enable companies to solve several conversion related problems.