[intro]In this Guide, you’ll learn what to do if your EKM online shop is using an older mCommerce Theme and how to rectify it. [/intro]

All of the current Themes on the EKM online shop platform are described as ‘mobile responsive’. This means that the design seen on a desktop or laptop computer will reduce in size and rearrange as the screen gets smaller. This is the current best practice and industry standard in terms of designing for various screens and devices. 

Prior to responsive Themes, however, the EKM online shop platform provided a standard mobile Theme for all shops which could then be amended with the shop logo and main theme colour. These Themes were referred to as ‘mCommerce’ as they had separate ‘mobile templates’. 

In November 2019, after removing all Themes that depended on mCommerce, EKM stopped development and support for Themes with separate mobile templates. We recommend that EKM online shops still using mCommerce upgrade to a modern Theme that reflects best practices in terms of design, navigation, display and most importantly, visitor experience. 

What is the difference between a responsive Theme and mCommerce?

Responsive Design and Adaptive Design

The key difference for EKM Shop Owners between a Theme which is responsive and the mCommerce mobile Theme is that mCommerce is completely separate from the desktop Theme on the shop. As a Theme that resizes and readjusts to the size of the screen is called ‘responsive design’, a Theme specifically created for mobile is referred to as ‘adaptive design’. This means that content like carousel banners, image elements and text areas that appear on the desktop site most likely will not show on the mobile version of the shop. There is also a strong possibility that the overall look and feel of a shop using mCommerce will be very different from how the shop looks on a desktop or laptop screen. 

Appearance and content

When amending the content on the desktop version of an EKM online shop using mCommerce, these changes will not appear on the mobile version. In order for these changes to appear, the editable elements on the desktop Theme would need to be added manually to the mobile Theme. This also applies to content that appears in Google Search results, as only content that appears on the mobile version of the site will be seen by the Google Search engine. 

Design Tweaks

EKM provide a service called Design Tweaks, which are minor to moderate changes to a theme and its layout. This service is available for all desktop themes (other than Aerial), but as mCommerce is not supported, Design Tweaks are not available on mobile versions of Shops.

Remember! Unsupported Themes don’t receive new features and bug fixes

The EKM platform is constantly being updated and improved. Where these changes require amendments to Themes, supported Themes are also updated to take advantage of these new features and functionality. Since support for mCommerce ended in 2019, features and updates such as Quick Announcement, Quick View, Product Urgency, Product Tabs and Product Bundles have been added to the platform, but will not display on the mobile versions of shops using mCommerce. 

[tips]If you're not sure if your EKM online shop is using Commerce, you can find out by following the steps in this Guide. [/tips]

What can I do if my EKM online shop is using mCommerce?

There are several options available to EKM online shop owners using mCommerce:

Changing Theme

There are dozens of Themes available on the EKM platform, including our brand new Aerial generation which are the most customisable EKM Themes ever. All EKM Themes are free to use and EKM online shop owners can see new Themes with no risk by trying them out in their Test Shop. 

Evolution Mode

EKM online shops on the Standard tier and above receive Evolution Mode at least once per year. An Evolution Mode designer will review your EKM online shop and put forward a potential design on the Test Shop, which you can then approve. Evolution Mode can be requested in the ‘Settings’ tab within the EKM Shop, via your Account Manager or the Customer Support Team. 

Custom Design

While EKM makes every effort to provide Themes that can be tailored to the needs of any business, we understand that there will be times when a bespoke design solution is required. With the help of our Custom Design team, we can work with you to bring your design vision to life. For more information, please click: https://www.ekm.com/design 

[contact] If you need our help with your EKM online shop, contact your Ecommerce Expert or the Customer Support Team, who will be able to point you in the right direction. We're open from 8am-6pm weekdays and 9am-5.30pm weekends. If you'd like to suggest a feature or an upgrade on any of the EKM platforms, please let us know on the EKM Suggestions Board. If you have a non-account-specific question to ask the EKM Team, join us in the EKM Community. [/contact]