Over the past several years, tablet computers have changed the way users browse the world wide web. While personal laptops and desktops still dominate the workplace and smartphones are great for quick internet searches on the go, tablets are primed for casual and relaxed browsing. Which is probably why the vast majority of tablet owners use their devices between the hours of 5–11 p.m. and spend their time reading lengthier articles and shopping for longer periods of time.
In other words, optimizing your free ecommerce website for tablet will likely lead to a more engaged shopping experience for users and, hopefully, more sales for you. Below are a few interesting tidbits about tablets and ecommerce that you should know.
Tablets Drove 61 Percent of Mobile Ecommerce Sales in 2015
Mobile ecommerce has continued to grow in recent years, proving that today’s consumers are more comfortable shopping from their homes and offices than in physical stores. According to eMarketer, purchases over tablet made up 61 percent of mobile ecommerce sales. In short, if your e-store isn’t ready for mobile, you are missing out on a swath of interested shoppers.
Tablet Owners Are Younger and More Affluent
Think about your store and who you are trying to reach. Are you hoping to capture the interests of Millennials or are your products geared more towards senior citizens? While nearly half of all Americans (45 percent) own a tablet or e-reader, according to Pew Research, the majority of owners are between the ages of 18–49 and earn roughly $75,000 a year.
So, if you are trying to reach the young and prosperous, you will do well to cater to tablet shoppers. However, some experts anticipate a surge in tablet use by older consumers.
Tablet Users Love Quality Images
Tablets have a big beautiful screen. Don’t you think that your ecommerce store should host big beautiful images to match? Employ visually stunning HD images for all your merchandise, or take things to the next level with videos demonstrating how your products work, how to best clean/take care of them and customer tips for getting the most out of their purchase. If you are building a template for your store from a free ecommerce website builder, be sure to choose a provider that caters to mobile and tablet shoppers.
Tablets Require Vertical & Horizontal Orientation
Similarly, tablets, much like smart phones, can be viewed vertically or horizontally. This gives users the ability to personalize their browsing experience. For example, vertical orientation is preferred for reading long-form product descriptions or on-page blog posts, whereas horizontal orientation is better for viewing large images or full-screen videos.
Think about how your free ecommerce website builder will display your pages. Do you want a fluid interface that simply adjusts to either orientation, or would you prefer an extended experience that allows users to see more by turning their device on its side? Remember to keep the title bar with your brand name, product categories, about us or contact page, and search bar on top in any orientation for effortless viewing.
Tablet Interfaces Need to Be Easy to Use
Ease of use is one of the biggest obstacles to mobile ecommerce. This may be truer of smartphones than tablets, but entering in your credit card and personal information on a touchscreen can be troublesome for some users. Do your shoppers really want to tap on every entry box and type in their email only to have autocorrect change it to something else? Of course not. Ensure that your platform provider allows for accessibility across devices.
Here’s the truth: Shoppers have moved away from brick and mortar towards digital, and from desktop to mobile. If you don’t adapt, you will lose customers. Make the smart decision by optimizing your ecommerce site for tablets.
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