“Mobile will overtake desktop by 2018.” This was a prediction made in 2014 by Mary Meeker, an analyst at Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers. Implementing mobile strategies is no longer a question that marketers are asking themselves. Now the question is what do mobile-first consumers expect? It’s not about simply providing a mobile website or responsive emails. Rather, consumers want brands to provide an entire mobile experience that meets their expectations across the purchase journey.
Brands must think of mobile strategies as less about the device and more about the consumer. Sitecore conducted research to provide a more in-depth analysis of what makes an ideal mobile experience, what tactics brands have implemented, and what gaps and challenges brands are experiencing.
A summary of Sitecore’s key findings includes:
- Convenience (48%), security (46%), and speed (42%) are the most common elements of a good mobile experience for consumers
- Two-thirds (66%) of consumers say that their mobile expectations will change over the next three years, with personalization (35%) coming to the forefront
- More than eight in ten (84%) consumer respondents search for items on their mobile device before purchasing
- About a fifth (19%) of consumer respondents are already using mobile to make the majority of their online purchases, and this will increase to a third (33%) in three years’ time
- The majority of consumers (93%) would take action against a brand if they felt that their expectations were not being completely met, with a third (33%) saying they would walk away from the brand in question altogether
- Three-quarters (76%) of consumers say that a good mobile experience influences their loyalty to a brand
- Eight in ten consumers (80%) report that the mobile experience is now a priority consideration when deciding when to make a purchase
- Over half (57%) of brands believe that customers’ mobile security needs are completely met, but only 28% of consumers agree
- Only three in ten (30%) consumers say that their mobile personalization expectations are being completely met—almost half (47%) of brands believe otherwise
- Less than half (45%) of brands are combining mobile customer data with their CRM data
- Only around half of brands report that they have completely integrated mobile with other channels such as web (53%) and social media (49%)
What do Consumers Want in the Mobile Experience?
The three top expectations of consumers include convenience (48%) through shopping anywhere, anytime; security (46%) in terms of data handling; and speed (42%) of making purchases.
As brands meet these fundamental expectations, consumers are looking for their mobile experience to evolve. When asked what consumers expect to see in the next three years, 35% of consumers want to see more personalized apps and websites, 33% seek faster payment options, and 27% want more capabilities to “order on the move” with faster delivery.
Brands are already competing and trying to differentiate themselves based on price, product quality, or customer service. However the customer experience overall including the mobile dimension adds new criteria brands must now consider. This is especially true when considering eight in ten consumers (80%) report that the mobile experience is now a priority consideration when deciding when to make a purchase.
So how well are brands doing in meeting mobile expectations? Sitecore’s research revealed a bit of a disconnect between how well brands think they are doing and how consumers perceive how well brands are doing. For example, only 37% of consumers believe that their expectations for convenience are being completely met while 56% of brands believe that they are meeting expectations of convenience.
When brands don’t deliver, consumers are not afraid to take action. When mobile consumers are dissatisfied, 45% would make a complaint, 39% would purchase from an alternative brand, and 33% stated that they would never purchase from that brand again.
Unfortunately, many brands lack the capabilities to measure the success of their mobile strategies. Just over half currently do or plan to measure customer retention rates (56%) or improvement in service quality (55%) as mobile KPIs.
As consumers increasingly transition from their desktops to mobile devices, organizations across all industries need to pay full attention to what mobile consumers value and expect from brands. Consumer expectations are forcing brands to refocus on the mobile experience with innovative strategies or risk losing out to the competition.
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