What does a mobile version of an ecommerce site need in terms of features and functionality?

Tim Dunn, director of strategy at New Toy, which designed the Marks & Spencer mobile site, says there are some fundamentals to consider.

He says: “Before getting to the design stage it’s critical all data available from online and user research is gathered and analysed, then used to influence and shape design decisions. Any analytics on the type of handsets being used to browse your current desktop website is key.”

He adds: “The behaviour of consumers using the mobile internet is very different to typical online behaviour. Browsing sessions are typically shorter and the smaller screen sizes inevitably mean the users’ attention should be focused on where the brand wants to take them. This understandably has an impact on screen content, layout and user experience design.”

There are thousands of mobile devices with hundreds of different browsers and screen sizes and capabilities - all of which need to be considered. “The best way to overcome this is to create a design that looks great on the high-end devices but adjusts accordingly, recognising less advanced phones accessing the site,” he says.

However, you must consider that unnecessary content will impact download speed and also cost customers to download.

He concludes that retailers must also consider mobile SEO: “Google has a different search ranking algorithm for mobile devices, they judge websites based upon how they render on the specific model accessing the site.”