Top 10 usability aspects of m-commerce apps

Featured Image

Today almost everybody owns a smartphone and there isn’t any dearth of smartphone shoppers. If you are planning to invest in mobile commerce either to sell a product or service via mobile, then you are absolutely on the right track to capture majority of your consumers. But is this the first time you are about to launch your mobile app? If yes then you ought to take care of the following 10 usability considerations in order to make the launch of your first m-commerce app a grand and continued success.

 

 

  1.  

    1. Usability across most Platforms: To reach out to all the possible target audience it is important to make sure your solution is supported across maximum possible mobile devices that are available in the market. You need to ensure that your app is tested thoroughly across different platforms using various models of smart devices. If you want to achieve zero bounce rates, then do not overlook any device specific issues post the testing phase. Try to fix them instantly, except for those issues/bugs that come along with the phones and are unavoidable.

  2.  

    2. Usability and Conversion: Testing your m-commerce app is the key to the success of your mobile app. There are various platforms that render A/B testing or Split testing Optimizely being a popular choice. With A/B testing you can test two variants of a particular design. You can test the app based on colour of buttons used, which layouts take longer, multiple purchase paths for the app that may drive highest responses, etc. With all this information handy you can re-test and fully optimize the app which is the ultimate requirement of improving usability.

  3.  

    3. Video Usability Testing: Usability tests alone are not sufficient to test the mobile app. What you need to do is invest in Video testing to get the real reaction of users while they user your mobile app. UserTesting.com is one such a great service that is available in the market if you want to understand the users and achieve outstanding results. With the results being in front of you can easily make modifications and required changes to your app. And once this is done, the next thing that is of extreme importance to users is the speed. Your mobile app ought to be fast; else users will lose patience resulting in low conversion rates.

  4.  

    4. Motivation for Sharing and Purchase of the App: Not every smartphone user would prefer to instantly download an App and install it. Some prefer not to undergo the hassle of the boring and slow downloads and the installation process. To make the download interesting you should adopt newer trends such as giving away incentives to users just for sharing the app or purchasing it online. The incentives for sharing the app should be attractive enough to transform your consumers into marketing agents.

  5.  

    5. Simple Navigation: When you design your app make sure it has been designed taking the end users into consideration. Give high preference to easy navigation and simplicity because you may lose out on consumers if they find it difficult to find what they want. Make the app simple and include indications that guide the user to get where he/she wishes to go. Include an easy to find “complete transaction” button on each page of navigation, so that end users will have to seldom click buttons making their navigation experience an easy one.

  6.  

    6. Superb Aesthetics: Who doesn’t like superb aesthetics? We all do. Consumers will judge your mobile app based on its looks. It is very important that the app looks good and has all the elements that contribute to great aesthetics. Along with the aesthetic sense, it is important to remember that speed and interaction between users and the app is equally vital, for the engagement of more and more consumers.

  7.  

    7. Relevant Content: Users love it when they find what they are looking for quickly and if it is totally relevant to them. Make sure that you make the content personalised to all those who visit your app. Personalization adds a touch of being understood by others which drives and is the key to the usability success of any m-commerce app.

  8.  

    8. Provide Complete Information: Smartphones have smaller screen sizes compared to laptops/desktops, so it is important to present all the information or content that fits in a smaller area. Make sure you keep relevant content which is important to the consumer. Remove any additional content which is not really required. User’s need complete information especially where they are going to purchase something. Ensure that you don’t withhold the process of buying, due to lack of vital information; as lack of relevant and basic information may ultimately lead to reduced conversion rates for the silliest reasons.

  9.  

    9. Auto-Filled Customer Data: How do you feel when your personal data is populated automatically? Consumers hate to fill in personal data repeatedly, with the smaller screen sizes which may discourage them from continuing with the process of purchasing. Ensure that once the data is filled by the user, it can be picked up and auto filled each time when they place orders or where it is required repeatedly, such as billing address, shipping address etc. Giving an edit option is vital in case the addresses change during the checkout process.

  10.  

    10. Swift Movement: One discouraging factor as far as usability and conversion is concerned may be the number of interactions the user may have to perform with a limited small screen size of the smartphone. Browsing on the mobile isn’t as fast or easy as it is on the laptops. Hence it becomes mandatory to reduce the users frequency of clicks with the app. Scrolling can be used to a maximum extent instead of jumping to links, typing can be reduced, auto-filling is good to use, and lesser button clicks, etc can contribute to the quick movement through the entire purchase process.

 

Conclusion:
There are various factors that make a difference to the success of any mobile app. The factors are the mobile apps usability, aesthetics, along with ease of navigation, lesser clicks, fast speed and a great and personalized User experience among many others. Higher the usability higher is the conversion rate.

Ready to Take the Next Step?


icons

Maya Urankar

Content Writer

Maya, an IT Professional, is a freelance Content Writer at Promatics. She has an experience of around 10 years in the IT industry. She has worked majorly in the infrastructure, education, travel, mobile and telecommunication domains. With varied experience of working for many large and a few small IT companies she has been able to gather practical experience and knowledge in IT. She began her career with software development and eventually moved to be a freelance technical Writer/Content developer. She has developed content for websites, written case studies, datasheets, corporate presentations and technical content for a variety of technical documents, She enjoys writing informative Blogs related to Technology topics to help the readers understand Technology better. The Blogs are a way to extend help and share knowledge to resolve the concerns and queries that the readers may have. She likes to spend her spare time reading, loves nature and pets. She loves to listen to music, and play the Guitar.

Still have your concerns?

Your concerns are legit, and we know how to deal with them. Hook us up for a discussion, no strings attached, and we will show how we can add value to your operations!

+91-95010-82999 or hi@promaticsindia.com