Creating Mobile Web Sites
There are at least three “roads” to creating a mobile site. You can use a conversion utility that attempts to create a mobile version of your existing website; you can use one of several mobile site-building tools that use templates to automate the process or you can collaborate with a website designer experienced with mobile site development. Whatever approach you take, the design criteria is the same: to create a site that will keep your mobile customers coming back.
The biggest difference between smartphones and conventional PCs is screen size. The iPhone 4's diagonal screen size is just 3.5 inches. The new Motorola Droid X, notable for its “large” screen size, has but a 4.3 inches display. Because every square inch matters, a clear layout that’s easy to navigate is crucial. This is especially important on the mobile home page, which should primarily be a set of clearly marked links to the rest of your shopping site. Some of the best mobile site home pages resemble a table of contents, with images beyond the company's logo kept to a minimum.
Use comparatively larger fonts. That might seem counter-intuitive when screen size is so scarce, but your customers may be looking at your site in a train or in a crowd, and they usually will be holding the device, rather than placing it, like a laptop, on a table. In even the steadiest hand, a smartphone won't do well with 6-point type.
Site navigation should also be simpler; visitors to a mobile site have a greater chance of getting disoriented. Don't present too many levels of sub-pages, and on each page, give your customers a clear way to get back to your home page.
For small merchants who are not yet selling merchandise on auction sites, you might want to consider getting onboard because shoppers are taking to tools like eBay mobile in droves. In fact, eBay expects to see $1.5 billion in Gross Merchandise Value transfer through its system by year's end. There are many opportunities for merchants on the mobile Web. By offering auctions that customers can access from their phones, retailers can see a major sales lift.
Simplicity should also carry through to e-mail; make sure that both your correspondence and any links it contains can be easily read on a mobile device.