Is Responsive Ecommerce Replacing mCommerce?

According to the latest results, 32% of UK online sales were made via a mobile device in 2013 . A rapidly emerging sector, visits to e-retail sites via smartphone and mobile devices now account for almost half of all traffic.

Make The Most Of Mobile Traffic With A Responsive Ecommerce Website

When online retailers look at revamping their existing solution, they are now presented with an important decision, responsive ecommerce or mobile optimised? The result of this decision will not only impact the cost and time for building the solution, but the efficiency of the site in the future. To recognise why responsive ecommerce design is the best choice, you must first understand the difference.

• mCommerce Design – A mobile optimised website is purpose built to operate on the mobile web. A condensed and highly-functional accompaniment to your main website, a mobile solution exists alongside your desktop website.
• Responsive Ecommerce – A responsive ecommerce website is a set of tools and techniques used to develop a single solution. This automatically rearranges the information displayed on a device, depending on its capabilities. From HD tablets to low res, landscape or portrait, a responsive design will automatically respond to the screen's capabilities.

A responsive ecommerce solution is built and styled to work on any mobile device, whatever its size. This means that visitors from a desktop computer, tablet or smartphone, would all visit the same site, view the same product range and, have the same shopping experience. Compared to a mCommerce solution which is built on an entirely separate theme for mobile, responsive design allows the main site to adapt and respond to any device.

The Benefits Of A Responsive Design

One Centralised Code – Compared to a mCommerce site which has two sets of code, one for mobile and one for desktop, a responsive ecommerce design only has one base code, which adapts to a wide range of devices. Maintenance on a responsive website is simpler in the long run as your developer will work on one central platform. A responsive design will take longer to develop, but the end result will be future proof.

Unified Functionality – Whilst a mCommerce store is optimised for use on a mobile, this may result in harsh alterations to the elements featured on the site. With a responsive ecommerce website, the functionality of the desktop store will transfer for all devices. This ensures that all the elements found on the desktop site will be present, in one way or another, on the responsive site.

Good for SEO – Even without an expert knowledge of SEO, it is easy to understand the benefits of a responsive ecommerce design. Built on a single URL, as opposed to the two separate URLs used for mCommerce stores, a responsive design makes it easier for customers to find, interact and share your site. Responsive website design has been included by Google as a recommendation for improving SEO.

Mobile First – When looking for a web design company to build one responsive ecommerce solution over two device-specific sites, make sure that they work from mobile up. This ensures that as the site is developed, the smallest device is considered first, before any new element is implemented. By thinking of mobile first, all elements of the page, including the checkout, links, buttons and category filters, will be sized and styled to work on a mobile device, expanding with the device screen.

Responsive Web Design From Advansys

At Advansys we offer our very own, state of the art responsive ecommerce platform. Optimised from mobile up rather than desktop down, this enhances the functionality on mobiles and tablets, increasing site performance and revenue.

We would love to discuss the benefits our responsive solution could have for your online business. Call today on 0845 838 2700 or email sales@advansys.com for more details.