The modern mobile shopper is taking a whole new journey when he or she makes a purchase, and what you don't know about this process can cost you valuable business. Nowadays, there's no longer a simple sales funnel: The circular cycle through which purchases are made has become an intricate set of interactions involving any number of competing brands. But, according to Think With Google, 93 percent of people who use their mobile devices to research a product or service eventually make a purchase. As such, in order to be viable in today's market, you need to know the new stages involved in the mobile shopping path.
Influencers
In the past, a consumer's purchasing decisions could be influenced by word-of-mouth recommendations and above-the-line promotions provided on platforms such as TV, radio and print. But in today's digital age, there is a whole new set of potential influencers and channels through which consumers can receive information about your products and services, including websites, apps, online ads, social networks, price comparison engines, blogs and forums. In fact, according to Internet Retailer, 75 percent of consumers use their mobile devices to look for and potentially purchase products when they are actually in a brick-and-mortar store location. As such, it is important for your website to have an optimized, responsive design.
Messaging Across Channels
Another major shift in the purchasing journey is the need for something to work across most common systems without any special adaptations. As consumers now have a variety of channels through which they can make a purchase, it's important to ensure that the content they're provided with presents your brand and your products in a uniform, standardized way. In fact, a Forrester research study commissioned by Tapad found that 71 percent of consumers do not like inconsistent cross-channel messaging. One in ten even claimed that these types of inconsistencies in the brand experience from one device to another were irksome enough to encourage them to stop interacting with a brand as a whole. As such, if you want to reach the modern mobile shopper, you must deliver consistent messaging across all of your platforms. You also may want to offer additional conveniences that will make a cross-platform shopping experience easier, such as saved shopping carts.
Repurchase Intent
Lastly, it's critical for your brand to take repurchase intent into consideration. The proliferation of crowdsourcing means that consumers are now flocking to social media and website forums to leave their comments about brand interactions more than ever before. And these comments remain long after an interaction is complete, which makes them readily accessible to your next potential customer. You want to make sure that your customers have the best shopping experience possible so that they are encouraged to leave positive feedback that will drive other customers to your site.
In order to thrive in today's marketplace, you must be familiar with the new journey of the modern mobile shopper to ensure that your brand remains relevant and to keep your company on top of trends in technology.
