From clothing to cars to real estate, mobile devices are becoming an essential part of how Americans make purchase decisions - and it's definitely necessary if you're going to include QR codes in your marketing efforts. Recent surveys suggest that about half of consumers use mobile phones while they shop. If you take into account that smart phone penetration is estimated at about one third of the population that means that a significant number of people are taking advantage of even the limited browsing features of their mobile phones to help them make better informed choices.

The argument, then, for any business developing a mobile web site is a compelling one. When faced with a standard "desktop" formatted site on even the newest smart phones, mobile customers are likely to become frustrated and search for a site that is easier to read and navigate. And if your competition has a mobile site and you don't, you can guess where your potential customer will end up. This is why it's important to link your QR code to a mobile-optimized web page.


What makes a website "mobile"?


This doesn't necessarily mean you have to re-create your entire website in a mobile format just because you're doing a QR campaign. In fact, your web site may contain a lot of information that isn't relevant to a customer who is on the go. Treat your mobile site as you would any marketing campaign - think about who you are speaking to, what their frame of mind might be, and what information about your business is most important to them. Make it easy for them to find what they're looking for.

There are also specific best practices for mobile sites - practical and technical considerations that make a website "mobile," regardless of the content. Here are a few key points:

  • Page size - This is perhaps the most obvious consideration. Reduce the amount of information, both text and graphics, so that pages are usable and manageable. This may mean eliminating some graphics, or re-formatting text as bullets rather than paragraphs, for example.
  • Navigation - Buttons and links should be clear, consistent, and easy to use. Not all your users will have touch screens; some will be using cursor controls to get around your site.
  • Load times - Connection speeds will vary in the mobile environment, so keep your pages "bandwidth light" (smaller/fewer images and shorter pages will help) in order to reduce load times.
  • Clear and simple design - Strip out anything that might make your site difficult to read on a small screen, such as background colors or images.


What Next?

Who is using smartphones? This Pew Internet study gives you a quick snapshot by gender, age, household income and more.

Learn more about Mobile Web Design Best Practices (digett.com).

Create your own QR code marketing campaigns quickly and easily with pbSmart™ Codes Software.

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