Online retailers have been fighting for years with how to best serve the needs of customers who want to discover, research, and buy their wares using an ever-growing choice of devices.

Released from their traditional desktop computers, consumers now demand the ability to effortlessly buy everything from clothing to sofas using their laptop, touch-screen tablet, mobile phone or phablet. And who knows what’s next.

The market penetration of these game changing new devices, combined with the ever increasing speed of wifi networks both in homes and public spaces has sent mobile traffic skyrocketing, creating new opportunities for e-tailers who can master the complexities of converting mobile consumers into buyers.

There is a troubling trend within mobile commerce

But it's not all good news. Indeed there is a troubling trend within mobile commerce. According to the 2014 Market Live Performance Index, customers interest in shopping by smartphone may be outpacing site owners ability to accommodate the demand.

Smartphone traffic is huge, growing by more than 62% in 2014 over 2013, with smartphone-driven revenue surging 141%. That’s compared to 20% traffic and revenue growth for tablets and the relentless erosion of desktops as the weapon of choice for shoppers online.

Conversion rates across board have fallen 2.7%, basket abandonment is up 2.8%

However, conversion rates across board have fallen 2.7%, basket abandonment is up 2.8% and worse still, baskets abandoned at the checkout is up 6.7% over the same stats from 2013. Smartphone’s share of shopping carts has bloated to 60%, but smartphone shoppers are walking away from their baskets 20% more often than their desktop alternatives, and 8% more than tablet shoppers, according to the report.

So if mobile continues to account for larger portion of ecommerce traffic while conversion continues to decline, it's not difficult to surmise that the bottom line will be hurt badly.

This is where we are today, but thankfully there is a solution, which not only bucks the trend of declining revenue but also breaks the pattern of the constant development race to create and maintain device specific skins to suit the needs of the latest i-gadget. What is this solution? Responsive design. Responsive design is a design that automatically resizes to an optimal layout for the exact size of the screen it is being viewed on; from a garish 60" TV, to an iphone, a responsive Magento website will serve your content in a beautiful, and importantly functional way.

As Magento ecommerce specialists, we at Pixie Media are no strangers to responsive design. Get in touch with our Devon Magento Agency to discover how we can help your business flourish with a responsive Magento ecommerce design.