With over 40 percent
of online transactions happening on mobile, it’s becoming clear that now
more than ever, mobile is truly taking over.
Even when the transactions don’t occur on a smartphone, it’s
likely that the customer did some initial research using a mobile device.
Whether they are searching for information, discovering new solutions for their
problems, or reading reviews, customers are using mobile more and more in their
customer journey.
Even if you already
have a mobile responsive website design, you might not be doing enough when it
comes to understanding the preferences, expectations and intent that mobile
customers have when utilizing your business’ website or viewing your
advertising efforts.
Mobile Success Means
More Than Mobile Capability
As we mentioned before, having a mobile friendly website or
app is a great first step, but it’s still just the beginning.
To truly succeed on mobile, you’ll need to fully understand
the mobile user experience (UX). Without that knowledge and execution on your
website, your “mobile” site might actually be doing more harm than good.
In recent research, Google found that 51 percent of
consumers look unfavorably on brands with mobile sites that are not designed
for use on a smartphone. Even more shockingly, Google also found that almost
half of smartphone users would not consider purchasing from brands that host
poorly designed mobile sites.
Here are the top three user experience (UX) reasons that a
customer would not purchase from a mobile site, according to the study:
- Loads slowly (51%)
- Difficult to navigate (50%)
- Difficult to find what I’m looking for (47%)
The UX on your website has a lot more to do with your bottom
line than you might think. It’s important to keep this in mind when designing
your website.
Does Your Business
Need an App?
It may sound counter-intuitive in this mobile-first world,
but not many companies need an app.
Competition is pretty intense when it comes to apps. You’re
not only competing against your traditional competitors, but also against the
user experience provided by the
likes of Uber, Amazon, Instagram, etc. According to Google, two-thirds of
customers say they can achieve the same goal on a brand’s mobile site as they
can on their app.
The reality
is that 87 percent of people say they can be completely loyal to a brand
without having its app on their phone, according to Google. Additionally, half
say they don’t even have their favorite brand’s app installed.
You don’t
need to force an app on your customers – especially if your mobile website has
all of the same features. In fact, Google discovered that 63 percent of users
will delete an app after a transaction when forced to download it just to
access a deal.
However, if your
app can offer new, unique, value-added experiences for your customers then it
might be worth it to invest in an app.
Conclusion
With mobile comes a unique and ever-evolving set of customer
expectations that challenge norms and create new opportunities. In order to
stay competitive online, embracing mobile is a must.
If you need help getting up to speed with mobile
marketing, call Sales & Marketing Technologies today at (407)
682-2222 for a free strategy session with one of our expert digital marketers.