Are you sure your business is mobile friendly?

Never fear, we’re here to get your shop mobile friendly

According to Google, 85% of consumers now begin their shopping journey on a smartphone. 85%! Mobile is more popular for researching products than in-store browsing or window shopping. In fact, some form of online browsing is the newest hobby. Is your shop mobile friendly? If not, the good news is most people don’t complete their purchases on their phone. The lion’s share of shopping is still done in the store, but it’s time to go mobile.

What does it mean to be mobile friendly?

The ability to conveniently access your shop on a mobile device such as a smart phone, tablet or laptop means your shop is mobile friendly. Have you ever visited another shop’s website (or maybe even your own) on your smart phone and found it was difficult to see their information? You’re scrolling up and down, left and right. It’s hard to see their location, much less any merchandise. A website has to be “responsive” in order for the information to be viewed easily. However, making an existing website responsive is not only expensive, it’s also time consuming.

Why is mobile important?

You need to begin making your marketing mobile friendly now. The younger generations have never known a time when they didn’t have a cell phone in their hands. This group is known as “digital natives” and “mobile prodigies.” They’re not going to be putting down their phones as they mature either. One researcher found that 60% in this age group would rather lose their wallet than their phone. An estimated 80% of Millennials sleep with their smart phones next to them.

Inexpensive mobile solutions

Larger retailers offer mobile apps that shoppers can download on their phones to view their merchandise conveniently. Although popular in the early stages, many shoppers are now finding they don’t want to download additional apps. Their phones are too cluttered as it is. Apps are also extremely expensive to create. Since generating a new website that’s responsive or building your own phone app isn’t possible for everyone, how do you reach potential shoppers on their mobile devices?

• Facebook

Currently, Facebook is at the top of the list for downloaded apps on smart phones. The numbers are staggering. Out of roughly 2 billion smart phone users, 85% use the Facebook app. Take advantage of Facebook’s popularity and mobile friendliness. Head to the Create Ads section and you’ll find a bevy of marketing opportunities. You can specifically target people near your business and encourage shoppers to visit your store or attend your special event. Choose “Promote a product catalog” under the Conversion column and you can re-target customers who have already visited your website with specific products they’re already interested in. These are known as dynamic product ads which may require a bit of extra help depending on how computer savvy you are.

• Pinterest

Pinterest is another excellent mobile-friendly marketing tool. A Pinterest business account is necessary in order to use their Promoted Pins feature. Choose from 3 different marketing goals. The first is building basic awareness of your shop. The second lets you create an engagement campaign to get pinners involved with your shop. Finally, you can use Promoted Pins to drive traffic to your website.  Pinterest is perfect for creating great holiday pins.

• SimpleConsign’s AdKiosks

For SimpleConsign customers, we offer AdKiosks. Like a kiosk at a mall, you can place a virtual AdKiosk on websites and/or Facebook pages. They allow you to promote your merchandise much like a Pinterest page with descriptions and prices. The beauty of using AdKiosks is the merchandise is taken out of the SimpleConsign system once sold. There’s no extra effort on your part. If you are interested in learning how to add an AdKiosk to your website or Facebook page, contact Traxia at 888-860-8094.

• Email

Over 60% of today’s emails are read on a mobile device. Make sure the email provider you choose offers a wide variety of mobile responsive templates. If you are looking for creative ideas to improve your email campaigns, read “10 steps to improve your email marketing.”

SimpleConsign

Serving consignment and resale stores, who are serious about growth. Built so you can access your inventory anywhere, and get your store online. Ask about our free data conversions from other systems.