While I agree that customer satisfaction levels will impact on sales and conversions, I’m dubious as to whether we can be that specific about it.

Even so, the relatively low scores achieved by the mobile sites are something that retailers should be seeking to address, particularly as mobile traffic looks set to permanently overtake desktop in the near future. 

So to find out what they can do to improve, I took a quick look at the top and bottom performing sites to see what they are getting right on mobile.

And for more information on this topic, download the Econsultancy Mobile Commerce Compendium…

Marks & Spencer

M&S commits a cardinal sin by hitting users with an app download pop-up the moment they arrive on its mobile site, which Google has now said will impact on search rankings.

The homepage is decent, though the carousel is a nuisance and studies have shown that people rarely click on them.

Lower down the screen there are large icons for each of the different product categories, which makes it easy to navigate around the site.

                      

M&S deserves praise for the design of it category pages, which feature large images and a good amount of product information.

The product pages are also well-designed, with a selection of large images, reviews, a good product description, delivery information and big calls-to-action.

                      

The UX takes a slight nosedive at the checkout stage, as new customers have to create an account which requires the user to fill in a number of fiddly forms.

M&S’s mobile checkout mirrors its desktop version, which maintains consistency but ultimately damages the UX for mobile shoppers and leads to frustration when trying to make a purchase.

                      

Shop Direct (Littlewoods.com)

The Littlewoods mobile site is actually quite similar to M&S. It features a carousel at the top of the screen with large category icons underneath. 

The prominent search tool is a useful feature for mobile shoppers as it allows them to quickly locate what they’re looking for without going through loads of category screens.

                      

The category pages have some neat features, such as reviews, stock levels and cost, but the images could be a bit bigger.

Similarly, the product pages offer a good UX and pack in a great deal of useful information. Alongside the reviews, images, description and alternative items, Littlewoods also includes product videos.

                      

At the checkout stage Littlewoods requires new customer to register, but that is due to its business model which encourages customers to set up an account and pay for items in instalments.

Admittedly this wasn’t a thorough investigation of the UX, but ultimately I could find little wrong with the Littlewoods site that would account for it achieving the worst score of the ten retailers, other than perhaps its slightly confusing range of payment options.