Go mobile-friendly

Online retailers rejoice as shoppers phone it in
 

At the start of 2015 Google confirmed that it will start to take "mobile friendliness" into account as part of its search engine indexing. The change will take effect on 21 April 2015 and will be used to rank webpages in all languages. 

Although it’s fairly unlikely you’ll have time to capitalise on Google’s announcement by creating a brand
new webpage by then, it’s still a good idea to optimise your online store for mobile interaction and take advantage of the soaring popularity of mobile purchases.
 
You can get started with a free assessment of your online business using Google’s mobile-friendly test.
 
 

The trend
 
Smartphones and tablets were used to make 40% of all UK online retail sales in the last quarter of 2014. It’s the biggest quarterly increase in the rate of mobile retail penetration when compared with the same period in 2013, when mobile devices accounted for 32% of online sales.
 
The trend shows no signs of reversing, thanks to more shoppers feeling confident about the security of their devices when buying online. According to IMRG and Capgemini, whose research provided the figures, tablets and smartphones could soon be more popular for online shopping than PCs and laptops.
 
The improvements in broadband speeds and the huge strides retailers have made in upgrading and securing their platforms have eliminated the need for shoppers to be at home or in the office when they feel the need to spend. This also goes some way to explaining why smartphones are more popular than tablets for making online purchases.
 
The perks
 
Many small businesses are waking up to the importance of having a mobile strategy. Nearly a quarter (23%) of online small businesses surveyed by eBay and YouGov planned to have a mobile optimised site or app in the next 12 months. If that happens, more than half of all small businesses with an online presence can expect to see profits improve: 45% of businesses that ‘went mobile’ saw a related increase in sales.
 
“Going mobile can make the difference between converting that sale or making that good impression,” said Johnny Gabbai, head of mobile at eBay.
 
“Small businesses are vital to the UK because they can make rapid decisions, price competitively and adapt quickly to meet changing consumer demand. They are the innovators of UK retail. Their rapid adoption of mobile is just another example of this.”
 
 
 
 
Currencies Direct work with online retailers, selling worldwide on international marketplaces, and help them with international transfers. Our aim is to make it as easy as possible for you to manage your sales proceeds from multiple online marketplaces, so that you can grow faster and receive different currencies without being held back by unnecessary barriers.

To find out more about e-tailer Collection Accounts in the UK, the EU and the US, contact the dedicated online retailer team on +44 (0) 20 7847 9269, email etailers@currenciesdirect.com or visit currenciesdirect.com/etailers