Mobile users have ever-growing expectations, and they expect brands to meet and even exceed those expectations.
This is a problem in APAC where websites are still slow and usability, poor. In fact, the average loading speed of mobile sites is 6.4 seconds. Far too low because 53% of mobile users will abandon a website that takes more than 3 seconds to load.
Then again, the APAC brands should not rely on the 47% who can wait pass the 3-second threshold. Needless to say, brand owners need to reconsider their mobile strategy towards providing the right mobile experience to their users.

How to create the right mobile site experience

1) Speed up the mobile site

A fact that cannot be emphasized enough. A slow website negates the convenience disposition by accomplishing tasks through a few taps on the screen.
You don’t need to have a separate mobile website though because AMP will do. AMP stands for accelerated mobile pages, a process that involves customizing HTML. AMP enables faster loading times regardless of the device used.
A perfect example that Google deems is Ayala Land‘s AMP website. When the real estate giant implemented AMP, its loading time on mobile dropped from 15.5 seconds to 4 seconds. Online sales increased dramatically to 85%.

2) Build a seamless mobile experience

Speed is just one of the aspects that impact the experience of mobile users.
More than just tools, mobile devices are an ally. This only works with mobile sites with proven reliability however. Or simply, a UX (user experience) optimized website.
Mobile sites allow users to access information as quickly as possible. This means with a mobile web design that has a propensity to being findable. Findability is achieved through optimization.
Within the website, it is different. The design must be able to present information clearly with prominent calls to action. Spontaneous flow of information that allows for easier completion of the task (i.e., registering, making a call, booking a room, etc.) must also be achieved.
When these areas of efficiency are addressed, you will not discourage the users to explore the website. They won’t turn to another site to look for the experience that they want to experience with your mobile site initially.

3) Involve the mobile users

Part of creating a worry-free mobile experience is immersing the users in the process.
Reduce the steps. Simplify calls to action. Make a task more manageable. Offer app-like experiences if possible. Integrate engagement features such as search bar, predictive text, push notification, etc.
This is possible through progressive web applications (PWA). This is the process of creating app-like capabilities on your mobile website.
A fast loading, fully immersive mobile website is critical to building the strongest brand possible. You have two choices AMP and PWA. Regardless of which you choose, though, UX optimization must be front and center.

Not just Ayala Land

Since 2017, Ayala Land implemented a brand-wide AMP migration particularly on the estates websites and two real estate developer brands namely Alveo Land and Ayala Land Premier.
Three major steps are implemented: 1) front-end, 2) back-end, and 3) testing. The bulk of the work is due to coding which depends on how complicated the website is.
The current speed scores are measured based on FCP and DCL which refers to First Contentful Paint and DOM Content Loaded, respectively. FCP measures the first visual response or the time it took the website to display the visual elements. DCL measures the complete loading and parsing of the HTML document or the actual loading time of the page.
The faster the website, the higher the engagement and the lower the bounce rates.