This post originally appeared on Bryan Eisenberg’s blog and has been republished here with permission from Bryan Eisenberg. Join Austin AMA to learn more from Bryan at the 12th Annual Innotech Austin Digital Marketing Summit held at the Austin Convention Center on Oct. 8. His session, “Designing Legendary Brands: a business process to customer experience, analytics, and profits” will take place during lunch at the conference.
In mid-2013, mobile Internet access surpassed fixed Internet access, and according to comScore the gap is only widening.
Many people are not as easily frustrated with mobile as they are with desktop because their expectations are still low. It was the same way in the late 90s and early 2000s with desktop experiences.
However, that forgiveness won’t last very long. Consumers will keep expecting more and more great experiences like those they get from mobile-optimized companies like Amazon.
As more apps and mobile websites improve, we will see more companies leapfrogging forward by creating richer, easier, and more persuasive mobile experiences, allowing their customers to become comfortable with starting and finishing their buying process on mobile alone. Still, the current metrics show mobile has a long way to go when it comes to its ability to convert.
There is no bigger opportunity online than committing yourself to evolving your mobile customer experience into something that doesn’t feel like it is a desktop experience crammed onto a teeny weeny screen where gigantic thumbs and a finger are the primary modes of interaction.
If you don’t want to wait for this to change, then you must commit sufficient resources to creating superior mobile experiences for your customers. They deserve it, and you will reap the reward.
To begin, consider the constraints of the mobile platform, and then figure out how to use those constraints as a positive. Find ways using design, tech, or UI to make the experience satisfying, to become more like a snack-sized version of your desktop experience, which will highlight your service or products. Find an alternative that will keep your customers from having to perform difficult tasks with their thumbs.
There are just a few things I had at the top of my mind. What ideas do you have about improving the mobile buying experience?
Don’t forget! Register for the 12th Annual Innotech Austin Digital Marketing Summit on Oct. 8 to hear more from Bryan at the summit’s luncheon. Use discount code AMA69C for the special Austin AMA rate of $69. Includes full Digital Marketing Summit, AMA luncheon and all InnoTech conferences and networking functions.
