{"id":26028,"date":"2023-05-02T10:33:00","date_gmt":"2023-05-02T06:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cs-cart.com\/blog\/?p=26028"},"modified":"2026-06-19T11:13:51","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T07:13:51","slug":"mobile-optimization","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cs-cart.com\/blog\/mobile-optimization\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Optimize an eCommerce Website for Mobiles: Looking for an Optimal Solution"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

If you are the owner of an online store, then you probably use analytics and know that mobile traffic prevails over desktop traffic. In this regard, the question of why an eCommerce site needs a mobile version does not arise. But here comes another one \u2013 what solution to choose? Mobile optimization can be implemented differently. More precisely, there are four options to get a mobile appearance: mobile website, responsive design, mobile application and PWA. If your online store does not have a version for smartphones yet, it\u2019s time to dive into the problem and choose the best option for your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Contact Us!<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

According to Statista, 61% of online shoppers worldwide have made at least one purchase using their mobile devices in the past six months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It\u2019s no surprise. Mobiles have became ‘a part of a human body’: it\u2019s so easy to take it out of the pocket, pick up an item, add it to the cart, and buy when you are ready. The desktop version remains predominant for complex and expensive products when customers need more information to study and large pictures. There is one more peculiarity: people can study a product from PC, but when purchase decision is taken, they will use their mobiles.<\/p>\nAlexander, CEO of CS-Cart<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Smartphone user behavior and options for developing a mobile version for an online store<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The CS-Cart designer, says:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The behavior of smartphone owners during shopping is different from those who shop on the desktop version. In the first case you have only a small screen at your disposal, purchases are made \u201con the go\u201d (in transport or at lunch), so the pictures on the gadget\u2019s display should be large, and the information should be concise and useful.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Instead of a computer mouse, such users have fingertips, and \u201cflipping\u201d on the touch screen will not work for a long time. This means that the wish list and cart buttons should always be in sight, and the checkout process<\/a> is reduced to a minimum number of steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for the implementation, at the moment there are 4 options for developing a mobile version of an online store<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Mobile site<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Responsive design<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Native app<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. PWA\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Let\u2019s examine each variant in more detail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Mobile site<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    A mobile site is a site developed separately, it is the \u201clittle brother of the desktop\u201d. Both have a similar design, common elements, and yet they are not clones. The mobile site has its own code, it is placed on a subdomain like \u201chttps:\/\/m.site.ru<\/a>\u201d or \u201chttps:\/\/mobile.site.ru<\/a>\u201d and contains the design, functionality and structure in a simplified form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"Desktop
    Desktop and mobile sites of an online store<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    With the right settings (experienced developers assign different tags for both sites), users will be redirected to one or another version of the site, depending on which device they accessed it from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    An interesting paradox: the features of a mobile site can be both advantages and disadvantages at the same time. The main ones are listed below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Mobile Site Pros and Cons<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Feature<\/strong><\/td>Pros<\/strong><\/td>Cons<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
    A standalone website<\/td>Gives you the opportunity to develop a strategy for promoting goods and services that is different from the desktop version<\/td>Requires additional costs and time for development and further maintenance<\/td><\/tr>
    Simplified functionality or cut down content<\/td>High page loading speed, the site contains the most important content and functionality. A good style is to place buttons that open the full version of the site on all pages of the mobile site (in the header or in the footer)<\/td>The lack of full information on the site can cause irritation to users<\/td><\/tr>
    SEO<\/td>Fast loading speed of the site allows it to rank better in search engines<\/td>For a search engine, mobile and desktop sites are two different sites. Duplicate content will lead to their competition<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n


    Given the controversial character of a mobile site, it is increasingly replaced by responsive design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Responsive design<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Responsive design is a design created for different types of user devices. It can fit a small smartphone screen and a more elongated tablet display. For clarity, the example below demonstrates website responsible versions created by our designers for a Swiss company, which specializes in the sale of coffee machines. eCommerce mobile optimization plays a crucial role in ensuring these designs provide the best user experience across all devices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"adaptive
    Desktop and responsive versions of the Nespresso online store<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    The responsive design has a single code for all devices. Thus, the entire code is downloaded to the smartphone. As for the content, it duplicates the content of the main site in whole or partially (some of the blocks can be hidden if desired).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Responsive design looks similar to a mobile site. Then what\u2019s the difference?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Comparison of Mobile Site and Responsive Design<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Feature<\/strong><\/td>Mobile Site<\/strong><\/td>Responsive Design<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
    In the spotlight<\/td>A standalone website<\/td>Standalone design, prototypes and front-end development<\/td><\/tr>
    Budget<\/td>\u0425\u0425\u0425
    (you need to develop and maintain two sites) <\/td>    		\u0425<\/td><\/tr>
    Content<\/td>Cut down version<\/td>Duplicates the content of the main site in full or partially <\/td><\/tr>
    Simplicity  to change the content<\/td>Changes are made separately for the mobile and the desktop versions<\/td>It is enough to edit the desktop version, the responsive design will update accordingly <\/td><\/tr>
    Page loading speed<\/td>Instant as the content and functionality are in the limited form<\/td>Relatively fast: mobiles download the same amount of information as a computer (with the ability to hide some blocks)<\/td><\/tr>
    SEO<\/td>Requires a separate strategy<\/td>A responsive site ranks higher by search engines<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Our designer says:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Today, most online stores and marketplaces are developed with responsive design by default. This is a must-have for a self-respecting business, as well as for a client-oriented IT company.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

    The case when an online store exists without a mobile version indicates that it was developed at least 8-10 years ago, when responsive designs were rare. Now it is easier to redesign the website and \u201cput\u201d a responsive version on the updated site. Our team did that job for a store selling dishes for bars and restaurants. The site was created in 2015, became outdated in 8 years and no longer met modern user interface requirements. Our team breathed a second life into it: updated the general design and created a responsive design for smartphones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Read more<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Outdated websites: When do you need a website redesign or website relaunch?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    From the point of view of labor intensity, this is a simple refinement: after 30-50 hours spent on editing and approval, the responsive design is transferred from designer to developer. And after 150-200 hours of the developer\u2019s work, the final version is ready for release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    By the way, responsive design is also good for clients who want to go further \u2013 launch their own mobile application. All components are already in place (buttons, fonts, product pages, banners, and covers for blog articles), but the user behavior will be different. In the responsive version, a person moves from one section to another thanks to the \u201cburger menu\u201d icon (a button with three parallel horizontal lines looking like an American sandwich). In the mobile application, the user navigates the site thanks to the bottom navigation bar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"appearance\"
    Appearance of the responsive design vs mobile app<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    However, these are far from all the differences. To dive into the topic in more detail, let\u2019s move on to considering a mobile application. Moreover, this is the third and one of the most common options for creating a mobile version of an online store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Mobile app<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    A mobile application is a fundamentally different solution from those listed above. This is software that is downloaded from app stores (App Store, Google Play, Windows Phone Store, and others) and installed on the user\u2019s phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Mobile App Pros:<\/h4>\n\n\n\n