PUBLISHED
31 January, 2024
Growth Manager
With the rise of smartphones, more and more people are using their mobile devices for online shopping. In fact, studies show that 59.9% of e-commerce sales come from mobile devices. This makes it important for businesses to optimize their mobile apps to increase conversion rates and stay competitive in the market.
At UXCam, we have worked with leading brands like PlaceMakers to help them take a data-driven approach to e-commerce conversion rate optimization. And in this guide, we will share some key strategies to help you do the same.
UXCam has helped mobile product teams at the fortune 500 companies take a data-driven approach to development. Our best-in-class analytics tools have powered everything from mobile app CRO initiatives to complete app redesigns.
The bottom line—we know mobile user behavior inside out.
Let’s dive in.
Overview: The article outlines strategies for optimizing e-commerce mobile apps to increase conversion rates.
Why you can trust us: UXCam has helped leading brands like PlaceMakers take a data-driven approach to e-commerce CRO.
Why it matters: Effective optimization leads to lower customer acquisition costs, enhanced user experience, insightful product insights, and competitive advantages in the market.
Action points: Businesses should streamline navigation, implement responsive design, design an efficient checkout process, prioritize loading speed, and offer personalized user experiences.
Further research: Check out the UXCam blog for more insights into mobile app optimization strategies.
Mobile app e-commerce conversion rate optimization (CRO) is the process of systematically increasing the number of users who take some desired action within your app.
For e-commerce apps, this desired action is typically placing an order. That said, there are tons of other important in-app actions that you can optimize for, including:
Newsletter signups
Loyalty program registration
Account creation
Add to wishlist/collection
Social media shares
How does CRO work for mobile apps? Usually, you'll use an analytics tool like UXCam to track key conversion metrics, analyze user flows, segment your customer base, and ultimately, find opportunities to improve your conversion rates.
But more on how we help later.
When you’re converting a larger proportion of your user base, you need a smaller user base to achieve the same results. This means you can spend less on acquiring new customers (an infamously expensive activity) and allocate those resources towards other areas of your business.
CRO allows for a deeper understanding of user behavior and preferences within the app, enabling businesses to identify which product or UX changes have the most substantial impact on conversions.
Tools like UXCam that offer granular views of user behavior, like session replays and funnel analytics, are invaluable for pinpointing the exact features or screens where users are most likely to convert or drop off.
In a market flooded with apps, standing out is hard. Mobile CRO isn't just about optimizing for conversions—it's about optimizing for customer satisfaction and loyalty.
With the right approach, businesses can significantly enhance the user experience, thereby increasing user retention and engagement, which are critical in a highly competitive environment.
Make sure your mobile app's navigation is intuitive and user-friendly.
Simplify the user journey by organizing products and categories logically. Implementing a straightforward navigation flow enhances user engagement and encourages seamless exploration of your product offerings.
UXCam provides insights into user behavior and navigation patterns within your app, helping you make sure that your app’s navigation is intuitive and user-friendly. For example, our screen flow feature allows you to visualize the various paths that users take within your app, including where they exit or stop using it.
Responsive design means your app is always optimized for any screen size—whether it's a smartphone, tablet, or desktop. This allows your users to have a consistent and seamless experience across all devices.
Not building responsively leads to all kinds of issues, like:
Inaccessible checkout buttons
Difficult navigation
Squished or stretched content
These are conversion rate killers and can lead to frustrated users abandoning your app.
With UXCam, you can easily segment users based in device type, platform, and screen size to identify patterns in conversion rates. Are iPhone 14 Pro Max users converting 20% less often than iPhone 14 users? There’s likely a design issue that needs to be addressed.
You can then use tools like heatmaps and session replays to zoom in on this segment and find the root cause.
Friction at checkout is a leading cause of abandoned carts. To minimize it, you need to focus on making the process as quick and painless as possible—from adding payment methods to completing the order.
How? Here are a few checkout features you should think about implementing:
Guest checkout
Save card and address details
Autofill forms from account details
Social login options (Google, Facebook, etc.)
1-tap payment options (Apple Pay, Google Pay, etc.)
BNPL options (Klarna, Affirm, etc.)
And as a general rule, minimize the number of checkout screens users need to navigate through. This (combined with the features above) will keep your checkout process lean and effective.
Apps that load quickly convert better than apps that load slowly—it really is that simple. While there isn’t much reliable data on mobile apps, data on mobile sites shows that every second of load time can decrease your conversion rate by 20%.
To avoid this, you should regularly monitor your mobile app for:
Loading times
Frustration signals
You can achieve the former with a performance monitoring tool like Firebase. For the latter, you’ll need a specialized user behavior monitoring tool like UXCam.
Custom events in UXCam
With UXCam, you can easily monitor all kinds of in-app issues—from rage taps and dead taps to UI freezes, crashes, and more. Looking for patterns in this data will help you spot problem screens and flows, quantify impact, and prioritize your efforts.
Finally, make sure your app makes users feel valued and understood.
There are tons of (relatively) simple ways to do this, like:
Implementing personalized push notifications based on user behavior or preferences
Using in-app messaging to offer targeted promotions or content
Offering a personalized onboarding experience for new users
Customizing the app's interface based on user settings or past interactions
UXCam provides detailed insights into user behavior, enabling you to implement personalized recommendations and targeted promotions based on user behavior and preferences.
For example, using UXCam’s analytics feature, start by identifying which features are used the most and the least. Then, measure how often users come back to your product or specific features. Finally, check for user segments that are not interacting with certain features as anticipated.
Optimizing e-commerce mobile apps for increased conversions is a multifaceted approach that involves streamlining user experience, leveraging data analytics, and embracing responsive design. By prioritizing intuitive navigation, personalized recommendations, and efficient checkout processes, businesses can significantly enhance user satisfaction and, consequently, boost conversion rates.
Ready to transform your app's performance? Sign up for free with UXCam to unlock a wealth of user-centric analytics tools.
You might also be interested in these;
E-commerce customer analytics - How to drive growth with data
Ecommerce product management guide for mobile product teams
Top 5 best e-commerce analytics tools
AUTHOR
Growth Manager
Ardent technophile exploring the world of mobile app product management at UXCam.
Stay up-to-date with UXCam's latest features, insights, and industry news for an exceptional user experience.
Get the latest benchmarks, best practices, and proven strategies for mobile app conversion rates in our comprehensive...
Growth Lead
Discover how conversion funnel analysis optimizes user journeys, boosts conversion rates, and enhances customer experience in product...
Growth Manager
Unlock the secrets of conversion funnel optimization with our comprehensive guide, designed to boost your product analytics and enhance user...
Growth Manager