Mobile traffic has greatly increased in the most recent years causing an increased effort to improve the mobile shopping experience. However, the behavior of online mobile shoppers can greatly differ from the traditional online desktop shopper. There are different best practices to follow when you are trying to improve your mobile application metrics versus web application metrics. But what kind of practices should you follow to make your mobile application metrics soar? Luckily for you, we have the top 10 secrets to that will increase your mobile application traffic brought to you by the experts.

The 10 Secrets of Improving Mobile App Metrics 

1. Know Your Audience

You must identify your core audience and find out what they are talking about. According to Corey Eridon from HubSpot, “The first step to creating content that resonates with readers is getting a better understanding of who your readers are, especially the ones you want to convert into leads and customers”. To increase your mobile application metrics it is imperative to understand the type of audience that is seeking your content.

2. Enable Social Sharing

It is 100% necessary to include social sharing options on your mobile application. In a LoginRadius blog, Subhro Sen tells us –adding social sharing buttons on product pages is becoming standard. In 2013, 94% of retailers analyzed by the e-tailing group were already doing this, up from 89% the year before”. If you want more people to talk about your content, you must go where the conversation is happening. Social sharing options are a necessity to increased mobile metrics.

3. Measure Customer Engagement

When you discover what parts of your mobile application customers gravitate towards, work to enhance those features. Keep up to date with the metrics on your mobile application, especially where your customers spend the most time. “If the majority of users are dropping out before they have time to complete a full activity, then there are clearly pain points that need to be addressed by the development team,” said Jeff Haynie in the Appcelerator Blog discussing important application metrics. If your customers love a specific feature, then make the most of it by expanding that feature. The only way to know what your consumers love is to measure their engagement.

4. Make Your Emails Mobile Friendly

How often do you look at your phone during the day to check your messages, calls and emails? “65% of all emails are first opened on a mobile device,” said Greg Hickman. If an email does not look mobile friendly when users open it, chances are they are going leave that email to check others.

5. Avoid Pop-Up Banners

When delivering content to users, it is important to make a clear path for them to follow to the checkout or goal interaction. All distractions must be limited from a mobile application to increase your mobile metrics. According to Rocco Baldassarre, “Pop-up banners are one of the biggest conversion rate killers a mobile site can have. Not only is it difficult to skip but it interrupts the thought process of a potential buyer”. Consumers must be able to easily complete the customer journey. If there are any roadblocks, they will likely leave your mobile application.

6. Have a Solid Marketing Plan

US Financial Insurance Consultant Michael Blumenfeld said “One of the big mistakes a lot of brands today still make is that they tack on mobile as an after-thought to their larger marketing strategy”. As of September 2014, mobile devices were responsible for roughly 30% eCommerce sales. That percentage is only predicted to go higher. You must think mobile when creating your eCommerce marketing plan. A carefully designed plan can lead you to the higher metrics you are looking for.

7. Utilize Responsive Web Design

By using responsive web design you are allowing your eCommerce application to easily transfer across all devices creating and excellent user experience. Sabuj Kundu, the Founder and CEO of Codeboxr said “Google states that responsive web design is its recommended mobile configuration, and even goes so far as to refer to responsive web design as the industry best practice”. Because of its many useful features and ease of use, Responsive web design is definitely something to look into to help increase your mobile metrics. See how ESPN boosted their user experience with a new responsive web design in Yottaa’s recent article.

8. Keep It Simple

Most people on the internet want instant gratification. It is important to keep your content simple and easy to navigate. Jamie Turner of the Social Media Examiner says, “It is important to keep the steps involved in going from entry point to purchase as simple as possible.” You do not want to create a roadblock in front of your cash register. You must make an easy path for your consumers to follow that will lead to a sale. For example, a good feature to utilize could be a “click-to-call” phone number. If your business’s number is located on your mobile site, make it easy on the user and make it clickable.

9. Improve Page Load Times

If a mobile application takes more than 3 seconds to load, you have already lost 40% of your visitors. Keep your website running optimally. If users find that a mobile application is taking too long to give them the information they want, they will go somewhere else for it. In her blog article on the affects of page load times on eCommerce, Marley Bathe says, “Mobile internet users expect a web browsing experience on their phone that is comparable to what they get on their desktop or laptop”. Faster page load times will lead to high mobile application metrics.

10. Optimize Content for All Mobile Users and Devices

It is not enough to optimize your content for just a mobile phone, you must be certain your content is digestible across all devices. Vick Viren Vaishnavi, the President and CEO of Yottaa said “Retailers with savvy online and mobile customers must optimize end-use experiences in order to continue growing their brands.” An experience on a mobile device must be able to transition onto desktop or tablet and back effortlessly. It should deliver the same user experience across each device. If you have not optimized to do so, you may be losing customers.

It is time to learn how to eat, breathe and live mobile. Ignoring mobile application traffic can be devastating to any business. It is no longer an option to optimize your content solely for desktop.  If you are looking for more ways to avoid mistakes while using mobile, try our “Mobile Mistake” E-Book and understand what NOT to do when designing successful mobile experience. Mobile must be at the forefront of your strategy. Utilize the top 10 secrets from the experts and make your mobile application metrics soar.