Why are mobile optimized listings important?

In today’s digitally driven marketplace, rates of mobile shopping and purchasing are continually increasing, and have been for years. According to a recent study, more than half all internet traffic shopping happens on a mobile device.

So what does this mean for brands selling product online?

It means that you have to create an online experience that is tailored to the smartphone. If you can successfully optimize your product listings for mobile devices, you will more effectively convert views to sales.

Indeed, mobile sales are an essential facet of overall growth that are too often overlooked. Long gone are the days when a customer would set aside time to sit down at a desktop, type in a company’s URL, and make a specific purchase.

Shopping happens everywhere, all of the time. Consumers are now shopping on their commute to work, during their lunch breaks, and in waiting rooms and restaurants. Browsing occurs on the internet, but also in social media and company-specific apps.

Brands that fail to recognize and prioritize the mobile browsing experience are ignoring the a major source of potential customers, and they are allowing their competition to capitalize on that gap in the market. Amazon is a giant in the eCommerce world. Focusing on mobile optimized listings in the Amazon marketplace will have a significant impact on your brand’s overall performance.

This article will breakdown the key factors of a successfully optimized mobile listing and, even more importantly, explain how to maximize the potential of your mobile optimized listings.

What does a successful mobile optimized listing look like?

The layout of a mobile optimized listing is different than that of a desktop optimized listing; you must adapt to the mobile format and play to the advantages of its structure. It is also essential that you test your mobile optimized listings on a multitude of devices. Appearances differ from smartphone to smartphone, so take the time to see how your listings and purchasing experiences differ. This will help you create a clear, consistent mobile experience.

Titles

Perfect your titles. Amazon’s algorithm has been prioritizing shorter titles, so keep them to 50-80 characters long and include only the most essential information. Focus on the first 18 characters or so, because those first few characters will make the biggest impact on mobile customers. Both Amazon and your customers are looking for concise, informative titles.

This goes for desktop optimized listings as well: avoid all caps, punctuation, and any kind of sales pitch in your product title. Instead, consider putting information regarding the product line, color, size, material, or packaging. Whatever helps define your product. Something else to avoid? Keyword overstuffing. Don’t just list all of your keywords in your title; only keep the most important keywords. Incorporate the rest organically throughout rest of the listing sections; this method will be far more effective in terms of both customer conversions and ranking.

Images

It is no secret that sales and conversions are driven by high quality visual content. In a format where there are reduced amounts of text, high quality image sets are a cornerstone of a well-optimized mobile listing. Especially with a smaller screen, customers want to be able to see the product in its entirety, from all different angles. They rely on strong product images to understand the advantages and uniqueness of your product. Invest in your photography.

As with all Amazon listings, photograph with an all white background. Amazon limits the number of photos you can use in each listing (no more than 7 images), so focus on quality over quantity and consider how you can capture the most holistic and detailed images of your product. Think about why your customer wants or needs your product, and what they would want to see if they were able to shop for it in person. Always focus on how you can fulfill a consumer’s needs, even in your visual content.

In terms of size, make sure that your images are larger than 1000 x 1000 pixels and that your product fills at least 80% of the image. Customers need to be able to zoom in and study the details of your listing. Keep in mind that smartphones are tall and narrow, so vertically oriented photos will likely perform better than horizontal ones.

Product Description & Bullet Points

Amazon mobile listings have both bullet points and product descriptions. The key idea here is to craft these sections in a way that is easy to read and understand. Avoid repeating the same information in both sections. They serve different purposes, and each will help you increase your sales conversion rates.

Your product description appears before the bullet points on mobile listings. This is an opportunity to build a brand story and set yourself apart from the competition, though you have only 200 visible characters to do so. Consider including a call to action towards the end of your description that might motivate customers to purchase.

Your bullets should be customer-focused. Think about your unique selling proposition (USP) and incorporate that into your bullet points. In order to understand the benefits of your product, perform a review analysis. See why people are satisfied with your product, how it is positively impacting their lives, and what sets it apart from your competition. Highlight those reasons in the bullet points section of your mobile listing. This is not a place for you to list product features; this a place for you to explain how those features will help your customer. Put your strongest, most compelling bullet points first.

Effective Branding

Mobile browsing and transactions occur across a variety of platforms; capitalize on Amazon’s ability to drive traffic and sales to your site by creating a compelling brand story that makes your customer want more information about who you are and how can help them.

A note on Amazon’s A+ Content program (formerly known as Enhanced Brand Content or EBC): this previously was only available to vendors, but is now available to any brand registered on Amazon’s Brand Registry (though this warrants an article of its own). A+ displays well on mobile devices, and it allows for additional and more sophisticated visual content, branding, and product information. If you have the option to use A+ Content, use it.

Take Advantage of the Mobile Phone Shopper Trend

Mobile optimized listings are ultimately the promise of greater strategic advantage. Amazon’s rate of mobile shopping and sales is increasing alongside the rest of the online retail landscape.

Remember that increasing smartphone-driven sales is not a new phenomenon. This increasing rates is a reflection of a larger shift in our use of technology and dependence on the smartphone; our integration and reliance upon our devices will continue to grow as their capabilities continue to grow.

Optimizing your mobile listings means that you are optimizing for humans; you are facilitating an intuitive and stress-free experience in the format that your customers are utilizing the most. Ensuring that your Amazon listings are easily viewed and purchased on mobile devices  will help you generate sales, beat out your competition, and grow your presence on one of the biggest digital marketplaces in the world.