Fashion retailer ASOS launched a mobile site recently, just in time for the Christmas shopping season.
Like M&S and John Lewis, ASOS has opted for a site rather than an app to broaden its reach on mobile, and in response to the number of visits and orders from mobile users.
Homepage and navigation
The site is aimed to cater for all mobile users, and this is reflected in the simplicity of the homepage layout and the navigation options. There are just three options; men, women and outlet, as well as a search box.
Each of the three categories contain plenty of further navigation options. Users can browse by product sub-category, by brand, or by trends. There are further options to refine the results also; by size, colour and brand, though more options may have been useful.
For instance, there are more than jeans in the men's section, and even when you use a couple of filters, there are still 141, too many to look through on a mobile:
Product pages
The products pages are good though, with four images provided for each product:
Tabs are used to present product information, delivery options and returns policies, while saving space. The product pages do a good job of presenting the products and key information in a limited space.
Checkout process
Users need to either log in or create a new account to enter the checkout process on the ASOS mobile site. Many users may be repeat customers who already have accounts on Asos, but this does make it a little bit harder to attract new customers via mobile.
Once you login or register, the checkout process has been well designed and adapted for mobile users, while links to information on security, returns, FAQs and contact details are all provided at the foot of the page.
Conclusion
The ASOS mobile site is simple and easy to use, and is a good example of how retailers can appeal to mobile shoppers across a range of handsets.
3% of visits to the ASOS site already come from mobile users, while the retailer has taken 23,000 mobile orders. With a site optimised for these users, and a mobile-friendly checkout, these numbers should increase.
Reader comments (3)
SEO Account Director at MEC Interaction
9:57AM on 28th October 2010
I like the fact that more people are not just jumping on the app bandwagon and they are going with an optimised mobile site.
Director of Product Strategy, EMEA at Bazaarvoice
11:36AM on 28th October 2010
Graham, you mention the percentage of visits and the total number of orders that come from mobile; do you know percentage of orders are mobile-based? I'm wondering if many customers are using the mobile site as a research tool whilst in-store or en route to the shop, rather than as a substitute for buying in the shop or online.
9:52AM on 29th October 2010
I was at the Google Think Mobile conference a few months ago, and I recall a stat for Auto Trader, where 60 odd percent of people use their mobile-based Auto Trader tools to research about the car whilst on the car showroom forecourt.
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