How to Engage Today’s Mobile Shopper Generation
June 19th 2017 | By Emma Grant
Back at the end of last year we took a look at digital marketing trends for 2017 and picked out four of what we believed would be the most important.
Mobile marketing was one of them, and with Google splitting its search index, we talked about the importance of bringing in a separate mobile marketing strategy.
The role of mobile as part of the customer journey is incredibly important. Globally, consumers spend four hours per day on average on their phones according to the Internet Trends Report by Mary Meeker. This makes it quite clear that if you are not fully embracing mobile marketing, then you are at serious risk of getting left behind.
How to optimise the customer experience for mobile?
When consumers are researching, seeking inspiration and shortlisting for a purchase, mobile is an essential tool. Grabbing snippets of free time whilst commuting, lunching or queuing, the consumer will use blogs, social media and search engines to furnish themselves with the information they need to make their buying decision. Any business that does not take steps to optimise its content and platforms for a mobile audience is, therefore, going to be missing an opportunity: it’s as simple as that.
So how do you optimise your customer experience for mobile? Here we take a look at three of the most effective methods.
Method 1: Optimise for Mobile Search
According to a Google study, more than half (51 per cent) of smartphone users have discovered a new product or company whilst undertaking a search. Search is, therefore, a powerful way to attract new customers.
Try entering your keywords into a mobile search engine and see where your business ranks. You may be surprised to find that whilst you hold top spots for desktop searches, the same is not to be said for the mobile results. This could be down to the fact that your website is not optimised for mobile. Is your website responsive? Does it automatically adjust so that it displays on any type of device and delivers a positive and straightforward user experience? If not, Google could be penalising it.
Advice: Go responsive to your website design. There really is no alternative now.
Method 2: Try Google Shopping Campaigns
With Google Shopping Campaigns, you can reach out to shoppers who are searching for what you sell. This is a form of paid advertising that displays rich product information including reviews, ratings and special offers aimed at capturing attention and it works across all device types. The inbuilt tools deliver reports to show you what’s working and what isn’t so you can improve results and, if you are running a Google AdWords campaign, you can even pull the data from that into your product inventory to power it up even further.
Advice: Whether you’re selling online, or trying to encourage footfall into your local store, Shopping Campaigns is well worth a trial.
Google Shopping Campaigns deliver product details right into the hands of the mobile shopper.
Method 3: Go Social
Inspiration these days is largely derived from social media. Whether it’s from shared ideas, friendly advice or simply just seeing what someone else is doing or buying, social is arguably one of the most powerful platforms for consumer influence.
There is also the opportunity to feed your product catalogue directly into certain platforms via an API, allowing product information and images to appear within social media feeds. Take a look at Facebook’s Dynamic Ads for Retail which are designed to drive both mobile and online sales as well as what the platform calls bricks-and-mortar retail. These adverts put products in front of shoppers who are nearby the store and even include a call-to-action to request directions.
Image sharing platforms are also considered powerful for shoppers at the consideration stage seeking inspiration. Pinterest works exceptionally well in the luxury and fashion sectors. According to consumer research expert Nielsen, 72 per cent of Pinterest users have bought something from a physical location that they have previously viewed on Pinterest. Furthermore, industry news reporter Mobile Marketer says that 1 in 3 Instagram users have purchased an item they have discovered on the platform.
Advice: A social strategy really should form part of your overall digital marketing campaign. Researching the channels your audience typically use and then funnelling your content through those is essential.
In Summary
Consumers use mobile to consider and research prospective purchases and then go on to either make their purchases directly or use their smartphones to direct them to the nearest store.
If you are not showing up in mobile search results for the type of products you sell, you may as well put the closed sign-up! There is plenty of inspiration here to help you boost your mobile presence, but if you could still use some help, why not talk to Figment?