Smartphones are popular research tool when consumers need to make important decisions based on personal values. Marketers should consider their brand’s unique value proposition, and think about how this aligns with the key attributes their audience cares about.
Brands that provide easily discoverable, relevant and timely information—such as product descriptions and reviews—will be positioned to win these critical micro-moments.
51% of smartphone users have discovered a new company or product when conducting a search on their smartphones.
When people shop, their smartphone is now their go-to advisor and assistant. For retailers, this means big opportunities to be there and be useful in shoppers’ micro-moments. To be found when the user is searching for your products or services
If we took a snapshot of the shopping experience a decade ago, it would look something like this: When looking for ideas and inspiration, a shopper would either go online, browse a catalog, or walk the store aisles. When in-store, a shopper would learn more about a product and either head to the cashier or head home to buy online. The point is that a shopper interacted with channels independently. But the rise of mobile has changed this picture. And now you turn to your nearest device – your smartphone.
In moments of need, people turn to their phones and search
When a question or need arises, our phones are far and away our most trusted resource, with 96% of people using a smartphone to get things done.
To meet these needs, people are at least twice as likely to use search than other online or offline sources such as store visits or social media. Not only is search the most used resource, it’s the resource 87% of people turn to first.
Mobile helps people make decisions when they’re ready to buy
People rely on their phones to help make the best decisions at the moment of purchase. In fact, 70% of smartphone owners who bought something in a store first turned to their devices for information relevant to that purchase. And when people search on mobile, it tends to lead to action: 92% of those who searched on their phone made a related purchase.
Mobile search is used for more than just immediate needs
While search has long been useful to help with quick tasks like looking up a dinner recipe, it’s also widely used to make progress on long-term projects. In fact, 68% of people used search to help with things they want to address at some point in the future, the highest of any other online or offline source.
And those searches for future needs largely happen on mobile with 97% of people searching on a mobile phone to do so.
68% of people used search to help with things they want to address at some point in the future.
People have more choices than ever to meet their needs—online and offline. And as they turn to their smartphones to make decisions, learn something new, get something accomplished, or tackle a future goal—search is their lifeline. This is why so many brands use search to make an impression early and get into the consideration set when people are starting to form opinions.
As marketers we have to connect the information we provide across screens, channels, and formats. And search, particularly on mobile, is where to start. By anticipating people’s needs, you can ensure you’re meeting people in their micro-moments with relevant and useful information.
