When I look at local retailer websites today, I’m finding a growing roster of great destinations. In 2014, however, having a website that looks and works great on a desktop isn't enough.

I ghost wrote this thought leadership piece for a national retailer magazine to be useful to SMBs researching the increasing impact of mobile device usage on their web presence.

On most modern retailer websites, you'll find searchable inventory, current sales promotions, embedded video, clear contact information, directions and maps, etc. These features make retail websites into impactful gateways to sales.

And in most cases, all of these features look and work great on desktop and laptops.

What retailers don’t control, however, is how shoppers view their websites.

In other words, how does your website look and function when viewed through a mobil device?

Consider these quick facts that illustrate the changing reality of consumer connectivity today:

• Last summer, 1 in 3 hits on local retailer websites came from mobile devices (comScore)

• Smart phones and tablets doubled the amount of time people spent online daily between 2010-2013 (Gartner)

• Today people use smart phones more often than PCs to get online (Cisco)

• 31% of people who own smart phones say it’s the only way they access the Internet (Karen McGrane, BA+S)

• During Facebook’s (Q2'13) earnings call, the firm reported that 40% of Americans log into Facebook every day; 79% of those do so from a smart phone

Multi-Screen Experiences

The fact is, your best customers move between four or more devices every day. “You don’t get to decide which platform or device your customers use to access your content: they do,” says Karen McGrane, author of Content Strategy for Mobile.

It's time to get real and fix your online presence to match your ideal shoppers where they are and how they access information.

Useful tactic (via [RetailerNOW magazine):
4 Devices - 1 Website: Be Responsive and Win