How Responsive Website Design Can Increase Sales
Responsive Website Design Can Increase Sales
In today's competitive marketplace, a crucial element of success is the use of leading-edge website technology and design. One of the key trends in websites right now is responsive website design (RWD.) Stated simply, if your website doesn't have responsive web design, your business is likely underperforming.
What is a Responsive Website Design?
You've likely already encountered responsive websites while surfing online. These are the sites that quickly and automatically adapt to the screen size of your device. Responsive web design ensures that your website content displays correctly and uniformly on a variety of devices, platforms and screen sizes, without the need to create multiple websites. Special coding techniques are utilised that make a web page automatically adjust to the device or screen size for the best user experience possible.
The ability of your website to look appealing and remain user-friendly on any size screen is crucial, since so many consumers are now using mobile devices. Sites with responsive website design look great on laptops and desktops, but they also adapt seamlessly to the small screens of mobile devices, with no more frustrating zooming and scrolling needed.
The Trend Toward Mobile
Your website is a tool for both branding and generating sales. If your site doesn't look good on a user's device, their opinion of your brand can suffer. If browsing your site on a smartphone or tablet results in a frustrating experience, users are likely to click away altogether and find one of your competitors' responsively-designed sites instead.
According to the Pew Research Center, 56% of American adults now own a smartphone, and 34% of them own a tablet device. A full 34% of smartphone internet users say their primary method of going online is using their cell phone (instead of a desktop or laptop computer.) Cisco systems reports that smartphone usage grew a staggering 81% in 2012, and IDC reports that tablet shipments surpassed PC shipments in the 4th quarter of 2013.
Google estimates that 90% of users alternate between their various devices in order to accomplish an online goal such as making a purchase. Clearly, the businesses that provide the most seamless online experience across all platforms will be able to generate more engagement, more positive brand sentiment and ultimately more sales.
Investing in Success
Responsive web design takes the same basic design elements across all platforms, intuitively adapting them to the viewing environment. Fluid, proportion-based grids and flexible images ensure that your website will be optimized to deliver what your customers are looking for on any device.
