Demystifying Responsive Commerce

Pros

• Common code base: One set of code for all devices, meaning there's only one site to maintain.
• Future device release: Easy-to-adjust layouts for future devices and screen resolutions.
• Partial window browsing: Ability to optimize content for any window size, convenient for those who use multiple windows.
• Unified URL structure: Using one URL improves search engine optimization and eliminates the need for complicated redirects, which can slow response times.

Cons

• Development costs: Expect to pay two times to three times the cost of a typical site redesign, including costs for testing each device size.
• Mobile bandwidth: Designs needed to resize large images for display on small screens to avoid bogging down mobile bandwidth.
• Cross-browser compatibility: Older browsers that don't support media queries may not function properly.
• Image resizing: Current HTML markup doesn't support dynamically resizing of images based on the resolution of the device.

Poor Conversions
When considering whether to invest in responsive commerce, retailers should also consider the cost of inaction. The latest MarketLive Performance Index shows overall strong increases in mobile revenue, but it also shows plenty of missed opportunities.

While 22 percent of all e-commerce visits originate on smartphones, smartphone purchases account for just 6 percent of revenue. This data suggests merchants have a long way to go to make mobile a viable sales channel.

Other sobering statistics include higher bounce rates for smartphones and tablets compared to desktops, as well as high abandoned cart rates and lower conversion rates for mobile devices vs. desktops.

Responsive commerce isn't a silver bullet, however. Every organization will have to make its own careful assessment of the pros and cons of responsive commerce before making the call.

I suggest retailers use Google Analytics to get a clear picture of the browsers used by their customers. MarketLive clients have found a very small percentage of customers still using Internet Explorer 8 and earlier browsers. If a large percentage of your customers are still on those browsers, however, it may not make sense to switch just yet.

Implementation can also take two months to six months (less if you're simply upgrading your existing platform to one that incorporates responsive commerce, longer if you're starting from scratch).

How long it's been since your latest site redesign is also key. If you've just been through a major redesign, ripping it all up again to go responsive might not fly. Consider upgrading in conjunction with your next redesign to minimize the costs and disruptions.

Justifying the return on investment, which can easily hit six figures, will invariably prove challenging to those in your organization focused only on short-term, front-end development costs. But those who've gone responsive are seeing huge increases in mobile conversions, anywhere from 30 percent to 100 percent.

Those kinds of results should go a long way toward convincing forward-looking retailers that responsive commerce is a worthy investment and a necessary cost of doing business in a multidevice world.

Ken Burke is the founder and executive chairman of MarketLive, an on-demand e-commerce platform and solutions provider. Ken can be reached at ken@marketlive.com.