Conversion rate is a key performance indicator. So, if it comes to eCommerce world, managers should focus on optimizing their mobile touchpoints. Mobile CRO is a report where we analyze reasons for the mobile gap and low conversion rates across mobile eCommerce. With this document, you can explore various optimization techniques, best practices, most usable tools, CRO challenges and more.

1. The Ultimate Guide
MOBILE
CONVERSION RATE
OPTIMIZATION

2. Mobile Conversion Rate Optimization
In Mobile eCommerce
As user behavior changes
constantly, there is always
a need for optimizing
and improving website
performance.
2

3. State of mobile conversions | 6
The mobile gap phenomenon | 8
Reasons for abandoning purchase path
on mobile devices | 9
How does behavior on mobile and
desktop differ? | 11
Conversion rate optimization | 14
Specifics of CRO for mobile
eCommerce | 14
Other vital metrics of eCommerce
optimization | 15
Best practices for mobile CRO | 19
Consistent user experience | 21
Responsive web design | 23
Time-to-interact and overall speed | 23
Reduce slow elements | 26
Prioritize content for thumb reach | 27
Simplify content on the homescreen | 29
Take full advantage of phone features | 30
Optimize product pages and listings | 31
Provide search tool | 32
Voice search | 33
Visual search | 33
Use product videos | 34
Be responsive to your user | 35
Engage bots and chats | 35
Be persuasive | 36
Control your mobile pop-ups | 36
Re-engage users with push
notifications | 38
Simplify all the forms | 39
Ease the mobile checkout | 43
Add innovative payment methods | 45
Use Payment Request API | 47
Resign from CAPTCHA | 47
Which tools are used for CRO
in online stores? | 49
Big deploys vs. constant small
improvements: Which approach
is better? | 52
The most common challenges
in CRO | 55
Lack of structured processes | 55
Believing that small changes
produce big results | 55
Investing too much in tools | 55
Not including developers on
CRO teams | 56
Lack of long-term commitment | 56
Focusing exclusively on
conversion rate | 56
Game changers for mobile
eCommerce | 58
Progressive Web Apps
for CRO | 60
Conversion rate optimization
for revenue beyond mobile
eCommerce | 62
About the authors | 65
Table of content
3

4. 4
Conversion rate is one of the most important key performance indicators (KPIs) in the
eCommerce world. In the past, businesses that were focused on online sales developed
excellent mechanisms for improving conversions across their desktop eCommerce
platforms. The effects? Well, we all know success stories of giants like Amazon and eBay.
The thing is that those conversion rate optimization strategies are no longer sufficient
in today’s eCommerce world.
With a global shift towards mobile devices, eCommerce managers should focus on
optimizing their mobile touchpoints. Although we passed the tipping point in 2014, the
majority of online stores still seem to do nothing or very little to actually meet mobile users’
expectations. According to the report State of Mobile-First ECommerce, the current state of
the average user experience is alarming. Poor performance and unoptimized UX are only
some of the reasons for which we observe the “mobile gap,” a phenomenon in which much
more traffic and time is spent on mobile than on desktop devices, yet conversion rates on
desktop are still higher.
In this report, we analyze reasons for the mobile gap and low conversion rates across mobile
eCommerce. We also explore various optimization techniques and ask UX designers,
product owners, and frontend developers from leading companies like Google, Trivago,
Tinder, Allegro, OLA, and Konga, for their best practices. In the end, we present you
with quick-win and long-term solutions for optimizing conversion rates in mobile
eCommerce.
This report is brought to you thanks to cooperation with Growcode,
Storefront Cloud and Divante.
Enjoy!
Mobile Conversion Rate Optimization

5. Mobile Conversion Rate Optimization
In Mobile eCommerce
State of mobile
conversions
5

6. 6
The rise of mobile commerce is undeniable. Mobile now accounts for over 60% of global
eCommerce sales, and that number is expected to increase significantly over the coming
years.
Despite these rosy figures, mobile conversion rates for online stores lag well behind those
of desktop, as is clearly visible from the graph below. The conversion rate for mobile is
nearly three times lower than desktop.
eCommerce Conversion Rate by Device
Mobile has the lowest conversion rate of any major shopping
device and lags far behind desktop.
0.00%
1.00%
2.00%
3.00%
4.00%
Source:Monetate,Statista
Traditional
3.78%
Tablet
3.30%
Smartphone
1.29%
Other
0.13%
Mobile eCommerce is up and Poised for Further Growth
Estimated mobile eCommerce sales worldwide
In 2021, mobile eCommerce (or “mCommerce”) is expected to account for 72.9% of total eCommerce sales.
52.4% 58.9% 63.5% 67.2% 70.4% 72.9%
Total mobile eCommerce sales
(in trillion U.S. dollars)
Mobile as share of total eCommerce
Source:eMarketer
2016
0.97
2017
1.36
2018
1.80
2019
2.32
2020
2.91
2021
3.56
Mobile Conversion Rate Optimization

7. Mobile Conversion Rate Optimization
In Mobile eCommerce
The mobile gap
phenomenon
7

8. 8
This difference between high mobile traffic and time on mobile versus low conversion rate
is known as the “mobile gap.” According to all available data, mobile conversion is much
lower than desktop conversion. The data shows mobile conversion rates as low as 25%
compared to 50% on desktop.
In the majority of markets, retail has the higher proportional audience reach among mobile
users than desktop. Nonetheless, mobile sales numbers are much lower, and we see a huge
mobile gap.
Part of this phenomenon is a result of the different focus of mobile users. One thing is
that on the buyers’ journey, users might not yet be in the decision stage; maybe they’re
looking for inspiration or are learning about new products. Second, they might use mobile
destinations to augment their offline shopping experience.
Another concern is users who are ready to buy, but never finish their purchase path. Tools
like Google’s Lighthouse audit or Storefront Cloud calculator can give the first answers for
what might stop the user before making their purchase. This should be followed by in-depth
audits of the purchase path to learn specific users needs.
49% Mobile Revenue Gap
Time Spent
Mobile Desktop
Money Spent
69%
20%
31%
80%
Mobile Gap
The mobile gap phenomenon
ECOMMERCE EXPERT TIP:
Jump to the Storefront Cloud calculator
to calculate how much you can gain by
improving your mobile eCommerce.
ECOMMERCE EXPERT TIP:
Jump to the Storefront Cloud calculator
to calculate how much you can gain by
improving your mobile eCommerce.
Mobile Conversion Rate Optimization

9. 9
• Poor product discovery on mobile: According to research by Qubit, mobile users
find it difficult to browse and “discover” products on mobile, which causes them to
leave online stores without making a purchase.
• Use of mobile as a research tool and failure to add products to the basket:
Research also indicates that, percentage-wise, the same portions of traffic are
engaging with product pages on mobile and desktop. On mobile, however, visitors
are not adding products to their basket. There are two reasons for this—use of
mobile phones as a research tool (for making a later purchase on desktop) and poor
browsing and discovery features, which prevent customers from finding what they
want.
Visitors are engaging with content, but they are not “selecting” (adding products to the cart). (Source)
DESKTOP MOBILE
Attract
100%
Engage
66%
Select
18%
Transact
9%
Attract
100%
Engage
67%
Select
13%
Transact
5%
• High cart-abandonment rates:
A number of factors—including lengthy
checkout forms, convoluted payment
processes, registration requirements,
and a lack of clear information—mean
that mobile eCommerce has an
unusually high cart-abandonment rate.
This is shown clearly in the graph on
the right:
Reasons for abandoning purchase path
on mobile devices
Mobile phones have the highest
cart-abandonment rates. (Source)
0
25
50
75
Global
77.24%
Desktop
73.07%
Tablet
80.74%
Mobile
85.65%
Mobile Conversion Rate Optimization

10. 10
• The size of mobile screens is a big hurdle: It’s very difficult to suggest additional
products and enable product discovery on a small-screen device. Furthermore,
additional information is often obscured. For example, the inclusion of visible notices
on product pages about free shipping, discounts, limited stock, etc., is of immense
importance in eCommerce optimization. Given the size of mobile screens, however,
these details can be difficult to display.
ECOMMERCE EXPERT TIP:
Are you curious about other reasons for low mobile
conversion rates? Check out the best practices for
mobile conversion rate optimization on page 19.
There is a positive point to be made here, however. Mobile behavior is increasingly
shaping eCommerce conversion rate optimization and retailers are often responding
with innovative solutions.
A deeper understanding of mobile behavior has led to a divergence of approach in regards
to user-experience design and conversion rate optimization for mobile and desktop. Online
retailers take a mobile-first approach and, for example, have placed much more emphasis
on simplifying the customer experience (knowing that time and screen-space are at a
premium) and building lightning-fast sites to overcome patchy internet connections.
• Slow site speed: As is shown in the graph below, the single biggest reason that
shoppers cite for not making a purchase is slow site speed, with conversion dropping
by 12% with each second the page takes to load. There is no greater killer of attention
and engagement.
Slow and clunky site experiences are killing mobile conversions. (Source)
0
20%
40%
60%
The browsing
experience was faster
or easier
It was easier to find
exactly what I want
Total Germany FranceUS UK
It was easier to
discover new products
that I like
It was easier to pay I did’t get distracted
Mobile Conversion Rate Optimization

11. 11
North America Shoppers in the US are browsing and buying
across all environments and more active on mobile than ever.
68%Advertisers with a shopping app generate
68% of transactions on mobile devices
30% of desktop sales are preceded by a click on a mobile device
Shoppers matched on another device spend an avarge of 14% more per order
Omnichannel retailers that can combine their offline and online data can apply
over four times as much sales data to optimize their marketing efforts
How, exactly, does customer behavior differ depending on the platform being used?
Let’s take a look at some key insights:
• Many mobile purchases are made on the go. Many mobile purchases are made on
the go and while multitasking. This helps explain, in part, why mobile conversions are
lower. Attention, along with commercial intent, tends not to be as strong or focused
when a visitor is browsing products while also taking care of other tasks. Because of
this, the importance of retargeting can’t be overstated. Retailers understand this and
will often prompt a customer to complete a purchase on a desktop computer.
• Shoppers prefer to use apps on mobile instead of websites. 71% of mobile sales
in the US are made through smartphone apps. This is a phenomenon that is not
mirrored on desktop, where the vast majority of sales are made through websites.
How does behavior on mobile and
desktop differ?
Mobile Conversion Rate Optimization

12. 12
• Shoppers use multiple devices when making a purchase.
One out of every three transactions involves two or more devices. The interesting
point, however, is that the majority of touch-points in any multi-device transaction
will be mobile. This is particularly noteworthy because it indicates that the disparity
between mobile and desktop might not be as clear-cut as it appears, with mobile
activity contributing significantly to desktop conversions. Research shows that
eCommerce stores with a higher rate of mobile traffic often report higher desktop
conversions.
More Commerce Marketing Insights Q3 2017 - United States
+9%
71%
Increase since
Q3 2016
32%
Desktop
20%
Mobile Web
48%
App
In-app share of mobile
eCommerce transactions
Share of transactions
completed on smartphone
Share of transactions
by environment
Most mobile sales
happen in apps
Mobile Conversion Rate Optimization

13. Mobile Conversion Rate Optimization
In Mobile eCommerce
Conversion rate
optimization
13

14. 14
No matter the reason for low conversion rates, the way to improve performance is through
conversion rate optimization.
Conversion rate optimization (CRO) is the process of analyzing and improving an
online store, or any other webpage, to increase the percentage of users who convert.
Conversion rate = number of conversions / number of visitors * 100.
The conversion rate is defined as the percentage of online store users that convert out of
the total number of visitors. CRO should be a systematic process that improves the online
store and helps users finish their purchase path (convert). At first, you have to figure out
what your users’ needs are and if there are any obstacles that stand in the way of a purchase.
The whole process should start with an in-depth analysis of your online store performance,
user behaviors, and needs. Automated tests like Lighthouse will help you learn more about
the webpages’ performance and accessibility, but to learn your users behaviors, you’ll have
to set up a series of A/B tests or run dedicated research.
Lack of users’ attention
The typical mobile user splits their attention across multiple channels and devices at any
given time. Most commonly, mobile devices are used while watching a favorite TV show
or commuting to a different location. What’s interesting is that many users are addicted
to a constant stream of information, but at the same time, they lose their focus. The more
information, the poorer the attention span.
Restrictions of mobile devices
Mobile devices, like any other device, have some limitations starting from external factors
like low quality of mobile connectivity or dependency on power sources. Internal factors
include small screen size, limited storage, or limited functionalities that cause slow,
inefficient performance of mobile web pages or apps that keep users from finishing the
shopping process.
Specifics of CRO for mobile eCommerce
ECOMMERCE EXPERT TIP:
Analyze your eCommerce with Google’s Lighthouse audit
to check performance, accessibility, Progressive Web Apps,
and other aspects of your online store.
Conversion rate optimization
Mobile Conversion Rate Optimization

15. Download Full Report
The Ultimate Guide
MOBILE
CONVERSION RATE
OPTIMIZATION