Consumers are connected in ways they never have been before and, as a business, you 
need to take full advantage of this. A variety of devices are available for them to use and they will research and buy using these devices. In order to succeed in today’s ecommerce world, your website must be available on smartphones, desktops, laptops and tablets. Social interactions should be enabled on each of these devices and each should be user friendly. You will pay extra for this capability, but it will reflect in your increased sales. When all features are automatically offered across numerous devices, you keep your costs down. Here are the main things you need to have on each device.
- Checkout – Don’t use different checkouts for different devices. An integrated checkout process ensures your customers won’t have to enter information multiple times. You may even wish to consider, if you have a physical location, allowing the customers to buy online and pick up in person.
- Customer service – Ensure your customers can access this feature on all devices. If they cannot, they may choose to go elsewhere. Your customer service department should also be able to see all information so they can best assist consumers.
- Product catalog – Your offering need to be viewable on a variety of devices. Have the same product information on each device as this will help to keep costs down. Adjustments must be made for the various screen sizes, but you can make use of the same functionality when doing so.
- Search – This is the feature consumers use most frequently when searching for a product. When the same function is offered on all devices, this improves performance and optimizes search terms. Be aware that results will vary depending on screen size. You should try to have it set up so the user can see the last items he searched for when he switches devices.
- Shopping cart – This feature needs to be shared across all devices. Make sure promotional codes are shared also as this makes the shopping experience more pleasant.
- User experience – Offer similar functions and experiences across devices. Although the experience will differ somewhat across devices, the more similar they are, the more the customer will appreciate it.
- User login – This information needs to work across all devices as a consumer doesn’t want to have to remember different login information for your site. Make sure your website and mobile site are integrated for this reason.
