Google has highlighted that advertisers need to make sure they have a mobile optimised site, make it easy for customers to reach them with click-to-call and deliver a seamless experience between online and offline in-store.

It’s the advertisers who engage with their customers across all three devices that will have a distinct advantage in 2012, pointed out Dai Pham, Google Mobile Ads Marketing on a company’s blog.

The company mentioned that it is beginning to develop a strong understanding of how shoppers engage with their mobile devices and tablets as they make their purchase decisions.

Google partnered with Ipsos during the 2011 holiday shopping season and shared following interesting behaviours:

·     Consumers use their smartphones at many different points in their purchase path. 41 percent of those who used their mobile phones to help with shopping said they made a purchase directly on their smartphone. 46 percent said they researched an item on their smartphone then went to a store to make their purchase. 37 percent said they researched an item on their smartphone then made their purchase online.

·     Consumers who owned tablets read product reviews and looked for product information more from their tablet devices than from their desktop computer or smartphone. The large screen and portability of the device enables consumers to use it more often and in more places.

·     Not surprisingly, more consumers used their smartphones to contact a retailer. This is driven by the natural calling ability of phones and many click-to-call phone numbers on websites and in ads to connect users to retailers to see if the store has the product in stock, get directions or find store hours.

·     Among consumers that used their devices to shop last year, 80 percent of smartphone shoppers and 70 percent of tablet users said they used their device more frequently this year.

Source: Google and Ipsos OTX Post Holiday Shopping Intentions Study, US, Jan 2012

Source: Google & Ipsos Digital Connections Study: Life of the Mobile-PC User, US, Jan 2012

Key Recommendations:

1.    Keep you brand top of mind: Engage with consumers expect more from brands than ever before and use digital as a key influencer and purchase device.

2.    Implement cross device campaigns: Reach consumers across devices who expect your store to be at their fingertips throughout the holiday season.

3.    Invest consistently, not sporadically: Invest early and consistently to benefit from a cost efficient auction and increase your margins.

Content Consumption

Considering the gadgets and the number of options available for travel planning and booking, one needs to understand how consumers are consuming content for their travel requirements.

Recently, in an interview with EyeforTravel’s Ritesh Gupta, commenting on how content is consumed and eventually shapes up travel decisions, Katherine Bose, Director, Mobile Partnerships, Americas, TripAdvisor, said the “medium is the message” applies here as aptly as it did to researchers’ seminal work on the effects of television on society, family and so on. In other words, there is no question that the smartphone is a different device from the laptop, which is different from the tablet.

The use cases are different, the user behaviour is different, and therefore the presentation and consumption of content, information and features are and should be different.

“Travel is one of those few and lucky verticals that is so broad and engaging that it actually works on various screens – but travel content and service providers need to be thoughtful about what to optimise for each screen and what to carry through to all to convey a consistent and integrated experience and message,” said Katherine, who is scheduled to speak at the forthcoming Social Media and Mobile Strategies for Travel USA 2012, to be held in San Francisco (March 5-6) this year.  

The screen a user chooses to engage with is largely driven by context and users are matching their device type to their situation.

In September, the Google Mobile Ads team shared how the proliferation of various screens is impacting user behaviour, especially search behaviour. The team looked separately at searches from tablets, PCs and mobile devices. The data showed that during the workday users are searching from their computers and they use smartphones steadily throughout the day with a lift during commute time and in the evening. As per the study, tablet usage spikes dramatically in the evening. While both tablets and mobile are portable devices that can be used in a variety of places, the data pointed to the fact that tablets are used primarily at home as “lean back” devices while sitting on the couch, whereas smartphone devices may be used in a similar way but are also used in the office and on-the-go throughout the day.

Specialists recommend that with for mobile one should be laser focused on making it easier for users to complete their task, while for the tablet user one should let users explore and connect with the content.

Growth

In December, eMarketer indicated that mobile commerce sales will reach $6.7 billion by the end of 2011 in the US—a tiny fraction of overall retail sales but a 91.4 percent increase over 2010. And this year, sales will rise another 73.1 percent to $11.6 billion. M-commerce sales are on a steep upward trajectory, thanks in part to increasing adoption of smartphones and rising mobile Internet usage. The company forecasts that 37.5 million US consumers ages 14 and up will make at least one purchase on their mobile phone this year, up from 26.8 million last year. The vast majority of that group will be smartphone owners, at 97 percent in 2012. Overall, 72.8 million mobile users will research or browse items on their phone this year but not necessarily make a purchase.