Can you imagine a world where purchasing an item wasn’t just a click of a button? The internet has dramatically changed the way we purchase and perform daily tasks. Nowadays we have the luxury to purchase almost anything from the comfort of our sofa.
10 years ago, consumer behaviour shifted from a linear path to multiple touch points across multiple devices and channels. Smartphones have become an integral part of the consumer pathway. They influence each step of the journey, from awareness, to consideration, to decision. According to Google, 3 out of 4 smartphone owners turn to a search engine to address their immediate needs.
It has become critical that businesses are discoverable at every step of the journey. The multitude of ways that consumers can interact with businesses has unlocked opportunities to be seen and heard by consumers, increase conversion success, and brand exposure. If a business isn’t present and ready on the other end of a user’s search the opportunity will go to another.
Capitalising On Micro Moments & The Age of Assistance
With the above in mind, consumers expect immediate answers when they pick up their phone and search for key information. They want to know, go, do, and buy, and your brand needs to be responsive to that information. A Google study has shown that 1 in 3 consumers who use a smartphone are more likely to buy from a brand if their information is visible the moment they need it.
It all begins with a search on Google. For example, a homeowner discovers a problem where they are at a disadvantage with the lack of light in their house. With a search online, they realise that there are solutions to increase the amount of light. They compare factors such as product solutions, brand values, price, and reviews.
Consumers are more curious, demanding, and impatient than ever before. Because we can know everything, we want to know everything. Even down to the most mundane matters. In the past 2-3 years, mobile searches for ‘shower curtains’ has doubled and searches for ‘travel pillow’ have gone up 300%.
And demanding, I expect you to know where I am and what I want without having to re-introduce myself or tell you. If I type in “Mexican Food”, you should automatically know whether I’m at the mall looking for a cafe/restaurant or whether I’m at home wanting takeaways delivered.
And impatient! ‘Same day shipping’ searches have doubled in the last 2 years and there are many more examples that exemplify this change in consumer expectations.
Along with a sense of heightened empowerment, consumers now have heightened expectations for every single experience they have with a brand. They expect to be assisted everywhere! It means that every industry and brand must build a digital strategy driven by assistance, or they face missing out on valuable customers.
Strategies To Improve Online Visibility
- Define and understand your audience
- Identify the moments that matter to your audience and create content which solves their issue or need
- Build a strategy driven by assistance to meet the demands of today’s consumers who are more curious, more demanding and more impatient than ever before.
- Amplify the content on platforms where your consumers can be found
- Measure performance and continue to evolve
The consumer pathway is ever changing. Keeping this in mind, businesses need to adapt to the continuously evolving digital environment in order to avoid falling behind and losing business to their competitors. There are many opportunities for growth within the digital space that allow you to create a visible footprint in order to both target and be found by your ideal customers.
This begs the question, how are you embracing the digital space?
