How to do Ecommerce Conversion Rate Optimization on Mobile Apps

What is mobile app e-commerce conversion rate optimization?

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.

Benefits of e-commerce conversion rate optimization

Lower customer acquisition cost

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.

Enhanced user experience and product insights

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​​.

Competitive advantage

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​​.

Best practices for e-commerce conversion rate optimization

1. Streamline navigation

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.

2. Use responsive design

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.

3. Design an efficient checkout process

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.

4. Optimize for loading speed

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.

5. Personalized user experience

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.

Conclusion

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.

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E-commerce customer analytics - How to drive growth with data

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