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Your website should be as user-friendly as possible no matter what field you're in, but that user-friendliness becomes even more crucial when you work with something as technical and as complicated as cooker parts. Cooker Spare Parts is a Cardiff-based enterprise specialising - as the name suggests - in replacement cooker parts, and we have just completed a brand new website design for them.

Now, there are literally thousands of different items that you can purchase through Cooker Spare Parts; in all our years developing ecommerce websites, this may well be the largest product database we've ever worked with. Factor in the very real possibility that the average CSP customer may not know exactly what they are looking for, and things start to get very complex indeed - even if you know your cooker's brand (e.g. Rangemaster), you won't necessarily know the specific model number, and this is the information that companies like CSP need to give you the correct part.

Clearly, this project would be a big challenge, but we're pleased to say that we have well and truly conquered it. Upon arriving at the new Cooker Spare Parts home page, users are prompted to enter their appliance's manufacturer and model number right away, therefore eliminating as much ambiguity as possible right off the bat. Once this is done, the site ONLY displays parts that are suitable for that specific cooker, ensuring that the customer purchases exactly the right item.

Aside from the improved user interface, we also gave Cooker Spare Parts a sleek new design. The site is now fully responsive, allowing people to order replacement parts with ease on any device at all. The crisp, clear page layout ensures that the user knows exactly what (s)he is seeing at any given stage of the buying process, and we feel the red and white colour scheme looks very sharp and modern. Visit cookerspareparts.com now to see our work for yourself!

More and more people are using smartphones - instead of desktop computers - to browse the web, and as mobile internet usage increases, so too does the amount of money spent online via mobile. In fact, shopping is one of the most common things that people do with their phones nowadays; this Econsultancy report suggests that 24% of mobile internet users have made purchases using their phones, and since that figure was just 20% back in 2013, it's probably safe to assume that smartphone shopping will continue to get more and more popular as time goes by.

If you have an ecommerce website, these statistics are not to be ignored. You have probably already noticed a swing towards mobile traffic on your site, and all the facts suggest that this trend is going to continue, so it's very much in your best interests to take a good look at your site and ask yourself how well-optimised it is for smartphone users.

If you want to turn your mobile visitors into mobile customers, here are three tips for giving them a better experience and boosting your mobile conversions:

It's a small screen - don't clutter it up!

The most obvious difference between mobile phones and desktop PCs is the screen size. When you're thinking about how your website should look on a mobile phone, be sure to make the most important elements instantly and clearly visible - this may mean stripping back the less essential parts of each page (such as promotional banners and unnecessary text) so as to fit everything in without making it hard to read. If users are having to scroll back and forth and squint at their screens just to find what they're looking for, there's a pretty strong chance that they'll give up before they reach the checkout.

Speed is everything!

This mantra doesn't just apply to loading times (although these are obviously critical on any device); it also applies to the user's journey through your site. Bear in mind that mobile users often have limited time to spend on your site, particularly if they're on a train or in the loo (you may laugh - 75% of people admit to doing it!)

If you want users to be able to fit a transaction into this short window of time, you need to make the whole process as quick as possible. If your site doesn't already use PayPal, consider adding it, as this will save a lot of users from having to painstakingly enter their payment details. An 'express checkout' option can also help - is it really worth forcing new users to register for an account before purchasing? Some will do it, but many will simply go elsewhere.

More generally, it's a good idea to go through each step of your site's buying journey and note down any steps that could be streamlined or removed - remember, each step is another opportunity for your customer to change their mind and leave the site!

Keep payment simple

We've already mentioned PayPal, but that's not the only way to make payment that little bit less painful for your customers. Another important difference between smartphones and PCs is the lack of a mouse or keyboard, and this can make entering one's details on a mobile extremely fiddly. Make sure that the data entry boxes (card number, customer name, etc.) are of an easily-clickable size, and try not to include too many of them (do you really need their address, their telephone number AND their email address?)

Some more quick tips for the checkout page:

• Instead of forcing everyone to enter their addresses manually, use an address lookup system that allows users to enter a postcode and select the correct address from a drop-down list. This cuts down on the amount of typing required to complete a purchase.
  
  
• Make your delivery options as clear as possible. If, at a glance, people don't know a) how soon their items will arrive and b) how much it will cost, they'll be reluctant to go through with the purchase.
  
  
• Are there boxes to tick? If users have to tick a 'Terms and Conditions' box at the checkout, make sure it's nice and big - that way, they won't miss it, and it'll be easy to click on!

 Want to make your site more mobile-friendly? Why not consider upgrading to a responsive design?

We're always busy here at DW, but things have been particularly hectic over the past couple of weeks. We've been hard at work on a new, responsive design for the Gadget Inspector website, and we're pleased to announce that it's finally complete!

For the uninitiated, Gadget Inspector is an online gadget store that's been doing roaring trade for the past three years. These self-professed 'gadget enthusiasts' decided that their website was beginning to look a little bit dated, and so they come to us for help - after all, if you're selling cutting-edge gadgetry, you ought to have a cutting-edge website to go with it.

And that's exactly what we've provided: a cutting-edge website that's perfectly-suited to Gadget Inspector's weird and wonderful product range! The company's new site is packed with eye-catching lifestyle images, and each product page is packed with information about the relevant item. Oh, and the fully responsive design means that Gadget Inspector looks great now matter what device you're viewing it on!

We're biased, of course, but we really think that the new and improved gadgetinspector.co.uk is the perfect place to shop for gadgets and gifts (which is pretty handy, given that Christmas is just around the corner!)

If you live in Cardiff or the wider South Wales area, our latest project may well interest you. Kitchen Economy is a domestic appliance shop in the Roath district of Cardiff, and we're pleased to announce that their brand new ecommerce website is now live for all to see!

The Kitchen Economy shop itself has been open for more than 30 years, and while the business did already have its own website, this site had begun to look very dated indeed. When Kitchen Economy first contacted us, they were interested in upgrading to a user-friendly ecommerce website that would allow them to serve customers from all over Cardiff and beyond; now that the project has reached completion, we are proud to say that this is exactly what we have provided.

Kitchen Economy's new and improved website looks very modern indeed, with each type of appliance represented by a hi-res image in a simple, easy-to-navigate site menu. Whether you're looking for a cooker, a dishwasher, or something else again, the new design makes it easy to find and purchase.

So, as we said before, Cardiffians in need of new white goods should visit www.kitchen-economy.co.uk as a matter of urgency - you can buy your new appliance(s) online, and the KE team will deliver to your door. They even offer a full installation service!