mobile shoppingConsumers today have come to rely on mobile devices for much of their shopping experience. Mobile commerce is huge, and is still on the rise. Forrester reports that mobile commerce will reach an estimated $293 billion in sales by 2018. So, understanding mobile shoppers’ behavior is key if you want to reach them effectively. If you want to capitalize on this trend, here are some essential ideas you need to understand:

Be Mobile Friendly

It seems simple, but the first step to reaching mobile shoppers is to have a mobile-friendly business. If your website hasn’t been optimized to appear on tablets, smartphones and other mobile devices, then it is time to update it. Design is a critical component of what makes a website mobile friendly. For example, menu navigation buttons should be larger and your content should be simple and organized in one continuous scroll instead of by page.

If you have features that open in a new tab or are still using the dreaded pop-up as a feature on your site, it must be fixed immediately. A mobile-friendly site is often a result of responsive design, in which your site automatically adjusts its presentation and content for the screen it is displayed on. Responsive design makes it easy for your customers to shop your site, regardless of what mobile device they access it from.

Adjust Your Emails

How people access their email has changed in the wake of the mobile revolution, so you should adjust your emails to be viewed on a mobile device. Emails should be quick to load and easy to read with large call-to-action buttons that pop on a mobile screen. Smartphone displays are the standard, and they are larger and higher resolution today than ever before. For instance, the HTC One M9 has a five-inch display with 1920 by 1080 pixels that displays in sharp HD quality. Make sure your emails and website look good on a device like this otherwise users will be sending you an email with just the word “unsubscribe” in it.

Consider doing away with emails entirely and shifting toward other forms of notification. For example, SMS texts are a great way to reach your users wherever they are. But you have to be careful to not be intrusive. Food delivery juggernaut GrubHub sends users a text when their food is being prepared and when their food is on the way, but that’s it. People almost always have their phone with them, which is to your advantage, but don’t let your use of notifications become a nuisance.

Reward Mobile Users

Your in-store experience shouldn’t be neglected for the mobile one. Reward shoppers with loyalty programs that are mobile focused to get them headed to your brick-and-mortar location. In fact, DalPay reports that 48 percent of mobile shoppers are more likely to shop in a physical store if they can be part of a loyalty program. Offering mobile-only coupons and developing an app are other great ways to give mobile users a sense that you are catering to their desired experience.