Chapter 19
Ten Ways to Reach Mobile Shoppers
As I write this, I just covered eBay’s annual Analyst Day meeting. Its CEO spent a good portion of his opening remarks discussing not auctions, not eBay stores, but the rise of mobile commerce. If eBay realizes that a key to increasing its business in the coming years is the number of individuals around the world who use tablets and smartphones to go online, you should, too.
In this Part of Tens chapter, you get ten suggestions for making your online store just as effective with mobile shoppers as with those who are sitting at a desktop. Think about some of these things when choosing a host or designing a store; you can implement other suggestions any time to expand your customer base.
Make Your Online Store Mobile-Friendly
You’ve probably seen websites that look exactly the same as their big-screen counterparts. Chances are they appear slowly and are difficult to read. You’ve probably also seen sites that look totally different on a mobile device than they do on a desktop computer. Those are simplified, with rows of easy-to-find and easy-to-click links, few graphics, and a rudimentary layout. These appear quickly and it’s easy to tap what you need.
The question is, how do you get one of those sites or storefronts that is tailored to appear easily and simply on the small screen? You can hire a programmer (an option also mentioned in the “Create an App” section, later in this chapter) or you can choose a shopping cart program or e-commerce ...
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