Most Australian’s use a smart phone now, in fact 78% of us do, and reflecting on our own habits the device is very much part of our everyday lives – we are digital savvy and super connected. Today, people use their mobile phone throughout their purchase journey and smart brands are closing the customer experience gap using a mobile first strategy.
Mobile is now essential in connecting brands with their customers and bridges the gap between the customer’s digital and physical worlds. Customers today see their mobile phone as extension of the shopping experience and a connection between what’s experienced in store and access to more information online, such as product/service searches, researching, finding a store location, price comparison or giving recommendations to their social networks.
At home or on the go, anywhere and at any time, customers are expecting a seamless experience at every touchpoint. People are already mobile ‘ready to go’ and today’s brands need to be mobile ready too – from being found in Google searches to optimising web and landing pages for mobile users. Smart marketers are now ensuring the customer experience is end to end with sophisticated smart device apps which personalise the individual’s experience.
A report from IAB Australia suggests marketers need to stop thinking about devices that people are using and start thinking about context. Context is location, time of day or week, what people are doing, and how the brand wants those people to react to the marketing message.
Sophisticated marketers are leveraging contextual engagement at every stage of the customer journey. Data collected from customer behavior – such as location, time of day, purchase preferences, social influence and device types, is enabling brands to shape engagement and create one-to-one, always-on experiences.
As customers move through the customer journey, each touchpoint must be seamlessly connected across the total brand experience, providing value to customers by satisfying their needs; that is, making the information they need available at the time they need it, this includes a mobile-friendly site or app, having free wi-fi available in-store so customers can share their experiences, providing digital and physical customer service options or personalised online shopping using predictive data.
Mobile bridges the customer experience gap by nurturing the customer purchase journey between their real-world and online experiences. What people experience is what they remember, so creating engaging and memorable experiences that meet customers’ needs is an important driver of customer satisfaction and this in turn strengthens brand preference and fosters brand advocacy.