TORONTO –Â Shopping on your mobile device isn’t always the smoothest process – too often even your favourite retailers’ mediocre apps will crash in the middle of a purchase, forcing you to restart the whole process on your desktop – the device you realize you should have started on to begin with.
It’s a story we are all familiar with, but in 2017, it’s no longer an option. Consumers expect more as technology improves, and brand loyalty isn’t a strong enough driving force to keep a potential customer on your mobile application.
Still not convinced? Google Canada has the stats to prove exactly how important a strong mobile presence is in order to succeed in the present day. The tech giant released its results during a Google-led session at the ICA’s Advertising & Marketing Week in Toronto. The “Rising Consumer Expectations & POV 2017” session, led by Miles Savage, Google Canada’s head of agency business development, introduced survey results obtained by Google throughout the last couple months.
“It’s so easy for consumers to jump from brand to brand or retailer to retailer at a drop of the hat based on whatever experience is being served on a mobile device,” Savage said in an interview with ITBusiness.ca before the session. “What people are really looking for today are things that are convenient, helpful, and fast, and if a brand ails in that moment to connect with that consumer, they’re more than willing to jump to the first brand that is prepared to fill that gap for them.”
During his presentation, Savage hammered home that the user needs to be at the center of the mobile experience for it to have any success. If an app fails, or if it’s too slow, customers are more than happy to jump ship.
“Consumers are more loyal to their own needs in the moment than they are to a specific brand,” Savage said.
In 2017, virtually every brand has dived into mobile in some capacity, but just existing on this plane isn’t good enough.
“Think about what the consumer wants in any one particular moment – that’s what the opportunity is. You need to think about your business from the ground up by asking if the consumer is looking for one particular thing, how do I solve that need for them. By solving that need you’ll build a much stronger relationship,” said Savage.
And so without any further ado, here are Google Canada’s leading stats on brand mobility:
- 76 per cent of Canadians have smartphones;
- About one in four will not replace laptops or desktops when they die, and that number jumps to 35 per cent between the ages of 18 and 24;
- 72 per cent of Canadian smartphone users expect to receive immediate information while using their smartphones;
- Just over half expect a mobile app or mobile website to work just as well as a desktop site;
- Nine out of 10 smartphone users are not absolutely certain of the specific brand they want to buy from when they begin shopping;
- Two thirds of consumers expect to see online which nearby stores have the item they want in stock;
- 44 per cent of smartphone owners expect brands to send a notification to their phone when a product they’re interested in goes on sale;
- Seven out of 10 smartphone owners are interested in getting things done on their smartphone by speaking instead of typing or touching.
As for what makes a consumer want to move from one brand to another, Savage offered these three stats:
- 75 per cent switch when it’s not easy to find what they’re looking for;
- 67 per cent switch when it takes them too many steps to purchase or find their desired information;
- 70 per cent when it takes too long. In fact, people begin to leave if an app function takes more than three seconds to load.
For more statistics and survey results, check out Think with Google.
