Which brands are thriving in their consumer’s micro-moments?
Google released a white paper exploring micro-moments as the new battleground for brands. The premise is that mobile has made consumers expect brands to address their needs with real-time relevance. I’ve been fascinated by this shift as it’s really interesting to think of this in the context of the consumer decision journey – something we at Origin spend a lot of time thinking (and speaking) about. And, I’m guessing a lot of you outdoor and resort marketers do as well.
I’m going to skip right past all the stats on mobile usage and mobile growth because, frankly, we are all well aware of this reality. Plus, we are all pretty much on our phones all the time. I will say that Google’s number “We check our phones 150 times a day” actually seemed a little low to me, but, you get the point. It means there are lots of small moments when you (and your customers) are on your phone throughout a normal day. Google calls these “Micro-Moments” and sums these up as the actions a user is looking to take:
I want to know moments, I want to go moments, I want to buy moments and I want to do moments. These are loaded with intent, context and immediacy.
What this means is that the consumer decision journey (that Origin’s written and talked about at length) is moving away from distinct phases (like dreaming and researching and validating) into hundreds of tiny little decision making moments at every stage of the process.
A few interesting stats (USA based):
Mobile’s share of online sessions has increased by 20%
Time spent per visit has decreased by 18%
Mobile conversion rates are up by 29%
What this means: We’re not spending long, concentrated chunks of time at our keyboards to make purchases anymore. We’re reaching for our phones and making quicker, more informed decisions.
What can you do? Google has three tips and we’ve got lots of thoughts on how this is relevant to the outdoor and mountain travel business. The three tips are
- Be there. Anticipate those moments and commit to being there when your users are needing you.
- Be useful. Connect people with the answers they’re looking for.
- Be quick. Your mobile experience has to be fast and frictionless.
Let’s dig in a bit more.
Be there
- You can’t just be there when your user is ready to buy. You have to commit to being there across all the stages of that consumer’s decision journey. Think about those 4 moments from earlier
I want to know
This is when someone is exploring or researching but not in purchase mode. They want useful information and inspiration, not price points.
Want to know about Backcountry skiing – Salomon Mountain Academy: http://mountainacademy.salomon.com/en
I want to go
Someone is looking for a local business or considering a product at a local store. Being there means getting your physical business in their consideration set at that moment.
I want to do
These are those “how to” moments that happen when someone needs help getting something done or trying something new.
I want to buy
You have to be there when someone is ready to purchase. They may need help deciding what or how to buy.
Ask yourself, are you there across the full range of your consumers’ needs, wants and curiosities?
Be Useful
Being there is great but you can’t just show up if you want to gain your consumers trust and dollars. You need to be useful and meet their needs in real time when they need, on their terms.
I want to know
No matter if it’s “which ski resort near me offers child care” or “where can I try out trail running shoes” or “what equipment do I need to split board?” – Consumers are turning to their phones for in-the-moment answers, even for big purchases. In these “I want to know” moments, consumers are making progress towards a long term goal (booking a vacation) or a multi-step process (buying a ski equipment) when it suits them.
Customers are gravitating toward brands with short, educational content – not brands giving the hard sell.
I want to go
These are the moments when you’re consumers are looking for a connection to the real world. This content is location signals, store inventory, driving directions all within your mobile site, ads or app content.
I want to do
As the name suggests, consumers here are looking for immediate help to get something done or trying something new. Not surprisingly, video content can play a huge role here, as do step-by-step instructions. When it comes to purchasing – 48% of smart phone users are more likely to buy from companies whose mobile sites or apps provide instructional video content. Tell that to your CMO.
REI Expert Advice: http://www.rei.com/learn.html
I want to buy
These moments can happen anytime anywhere. From the chairlift to the office, in-store, on mobile, via your call center…You won’t be surprised that 58% of smartphone users are more likely to buy from companies whose mobile sites or apps allow them to make purchases quickly.
Want to figure out which climbing shoes to buy – MEC Buying Guides: http://www.mec.ca/AST/ContentPrimary/Learn/Climbing/Footwear/ChoosingRockClimbingShoes.jsp
Ask yourself, what do your consumers want to learn about your category, product or place? Do you have content on mobile to answer that? Do you have how-to videos to answer their questions?
Be Quick
We are all in a hurry. This is frightening as a marketer as consumers want it now. Mobile enables fast decision making and on-the-spot purchasing. Whether they’re looking for information or to purchase, 29% of smartphone users will immediately switch to another site or app if it doesn’t satisfy their needs – for example, they can’t find information or it’s too slow.
Three things you should be doing:
Eliminate steps
Anticipate needs
Load like lightning
Sounds simple, right?
We’re planning to follow up with a series of best practices from our industry and concrete examples of brands that thrive in their consumer’s micro moments. If you see a good example or want to show us what your brand or business has been doing to win the shift to mobile, email me at [email protected].