Why responsive design is just the start
In this blog I will explore why having a responsive website is only the start when it comes to creating customer experiences.
So now that the big date of April 21st 2015 is nearly a month in the past I thought it would be a good time to reflect on what is next. In case you were not aware as of April 21st Google are taking into account if your website is mobile friendly in its delivery of search results. You can find out more here.
So what's next? Well I believe that this is just the beginning and here is why.
In the middle of 2003 mobile internet connections surpassed that of desktop connections. Since then more than 50% of websites visits on from a mobile device.
Now there are still a lot of sites that are not responsive and it is not just the search results that are going to affect these sites. The experience they are providing is likely to frustrate visitors and drive them to other other websites.
This is in fact true even if your site is responsive. Today we have quite low expectations on our web experience. People in general assume that websites are primarily for desktops and for mobiles second. But as mobile apps and mobile websites get better our expectations are likely to increase.
The first few mobile sites and apps were pretty poor in comparison to today. Do you remember the first few ipad apps which were magnified versions of the phone app and considered tablet friendly. We would not really accept this today.
In the near future we are going to find that we want and expect a really great mobile experience, one that is not just an afterthought.
We should be building sites with a mobile first mentality and many digital leaders will tell you that we should be building for a mobile only experience.
Currently the final transaction of many purchases still takes place on a desktop but with an average of 25% and rising fast mobile transactions are the future.
Trust is the factor that is keeping the majority of purchases on a desktop. In order to keep your prospects warm and to ensure they make that purchase you need to create that trust and ensure your website is as easy to use as the desktop.
The same logic applies to your mobile apps. The customer experience  is everything and if your mobile app has the ability to buy you need to make sure you win the trust battle.
Starbucks have done a fantastic job with their mobile app and in 2013 had 16% of all transactions via their mobile phone app, that is 7.5 million transactions. Convenience is the compelling reason for this.
Customer journeys now nearly always start on a mobile device and keeping prospects engaged is the challenge and when done right enabling the transaction to take place.
If the journey happens over a longer period of time, ensure you have the ability to keep a consistent experience across all of your digital assets.
The future is mobile and the future is now and its those that invest into these customer experiences that will win.
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Author- Speaker - Consultant. Passionate about all things digital.