As mobile websites become increasingly popular, website owners are given more dynamic features that will work on a mobile device.
Early adopters of mobile websites were limited to simple 1 or 2 page sites with directions to the store or simply an address and telephone number. Web programmers are now learning how to provide mobile websites that are as interactive as their PC counterparts.
For the jewelry store, this means you can have your entire product catalog available on the mobile website. This also means you can have customer accounts and even mobile purchases. Setting up secure certificates for a mobile shopping cart is no different than the process for your PC website.
We've heard many jewelers say "I just don't want my product catalog online because I don't want anyone to price shop." Our answer to that is "So what? Let them price shop."
Someone who price shops is only interested in the lowest price and does not care about the personalized service you provide as a professional retail jeweler. You probably don't want that kind of customer anyway, do you?
Instead, you need to focus on exactly how your online catalog will benefit your existing customers and potential new local customers. Providing a fully functional mobile website will bring you one step ahead of your local competition.
What are some good functions of a mobile website? Here's a quick list to consider:
1. Mobile product catalog
2. Mobile commerce
3. Mobile customer accounts
4. Mobile order history
5. Mobile repair status
That's just five examples. If you think out of the box you should be able to come up with a few more.
Search engine optimization techniques are still important for mobile websites, so make sure to employ as many of the basic ideas as we have given you so far in 2011. Although there is one caveat, and that's to make sure every mobile page you create is short and sweet. Get to the point quickly with whatever you write. Remember those mobile screens are small and no one really wants to read 400 words (the current requirement for PC sites).
We hope you will be venturing into the mobile realm sooner than later. Your prime customers, that is your bridal customers, are walking around with a cool smartphone in their pockets and they are always excited to find mobile websites to play with.
Mobile websites are still a fad. Until everyone has one, it's still a new experience that you can capitalize on it. Get started today. If you need advice where to begin, just drop us an email.
