5 Mobile Consumer Habits Shaping Marketing Today

Let's get straight to the point — are you reading this article on a mobile device? Based on scenes at the most coffee shop in the world, there is a very good chance that you are.

Today, as professionals and consumers, mobile devices are so deeply rooted in our lives that mobile habits should no longer be considered a "trend" — they have become the new norm. As a business or a marketing professional, if you have not yet created and implemented a dedicated mobile marketing strategy, it certainly needs to be done this 2018. This is vital, and don't make any more excuses.

Before we get started, here are six widely accepted takeaways from understanding mobile consumer habits.

• First, it is safe to assume that if your buyer persona has the Internet, they have a smartphone.
• Secondly, people prefer reading emails on their mobile devices and use their smartphones more for reading emails than making calls.
• Thirdly, marketers are rapidly optimizing for mobile and focusing more on mobile marketing at an increasing rate.
• Fourth, consumers are likelier to recommend and buy from a business that provides a better mobile experience.
• Fifth, the majority of money spent on digital advertising is targeted toward mobile platforms.
• Sixth, most social media activity takes place on mobile.

In 2016, 51 percent of all digital ad budgets were spent on mobile, a percentage that is increasing year by year.

All marketers and advertisers are investing heavily in mobile, indicating that (most likely) your competition is also. So if you want to remain competitive, and obviously you do, you must have a comprehensive mobile optimization and marketing strategy in place.

Here are five mobile consumer habits shaping marketing today to assist you in conceiving and executing that strategy.

1. Consumers want convenience throughout the entire sale

There is no denying that one of the most significant advantages for consumers who are shopping online is the convenience factor. To put it simply, today's consumers are lazy and expect to have a seamless experience throughout the entire sale.

As a business, you want to provide efficient and tactical marketing to show potential consumers that you can give them what they want. When creating marketing campaigns, think to yourself, “What do our customers want?”

2. Consumers base their decisions on their feelings

Online consumers tend to base their purchasing decisions on how they feel or the reason they need the product.

The convenience factor mentioned in item No.1 means that consumers will readily purchase something from their mobile phones when the idea pops into their heads. On the contrary, they may also impulse purchase an item shown to them through direct, targeted marketing.

When pursuing these types of buyers, your firm's marketing message must include a compelling reason why the buyer needs the product and, even more importantly, why they need to purchase it from you online right away.

3. The environment profoundly influences consumers

A consumer's environment highly influences their purchase. This environment can range from a friend who recently purchased a product and has given it rave reviews, a recent event in which it became apparent they needed a specific product, or even something as simple as reading a family member's reviews about a product on social media.

Consumers are continually entering and exiting different environments and are constantly being bombarded with messages of what to buy. Your marketing message needs to take this into account and stand out in a sea of noisy voices.

4. Today's consumers are (mostly) information gatherers

There are a couple of different kinds of behaviors that consumers demonstrate when they shop online. On the one hand, you have consumers known as "information gatherers". These consumers first gather all the information they can find on the top products in their buying category and then make a decision based on their research.

On the other hand, you have consumers known as "purchase now-ers." These customers that business owners love arrive at your site and are immediately ready and willing to make a purchase. However, not all customers can be "purchase now-ers," Your marketing strategy needs to focus more on the "information gatherers" as therein lies a massive potential consumer base.

So, as part of your online marketing strategy, you need to observe and record how far into your site consumers are reaching.

For example, if you catch that a significant portion of your potential buyers make it to the product details page and then leave, here is an issue that you need to tackle. In this instance, you may want to rewrite or change the layout of your product details page, ensuring you are providing your potential customers with all the information they require.

5. Consumers have the time to rank purchases

One of the most crucial mobile consumer habits to understand of today's online buyers is that they have the time and the resources to rank their purchases. It can't be overstated how crucial product importance is to the user when considering purchasing online.

Obviously, this significantly affects marketing strategies as ranking purchases in order of importance is far more rampant online, primarily because the buyer is not standing in front of the product as they are in a store.

Browsing the Internet from the comfort of their home gives potential consumers plenty of time to hit the pause button and think long and hard about how much they need your product before they buy.

For this reason, you must adjust your marketing strategy to show the consumer why your product holds immediate significance in their lives. Only by doing this will you be able to convince them to purchase online and increase your earnings. And while you are implementing fresh marketing strategies throughout the year, ensure you keep your eyes and ears open and ask for feedback from consumers.

It is almost guaranteed that you and I have done a fair amount of shopping online at some point. We all do it. And while targeted marketing to the right consumers is always essential, identifying and understanding the psychology behind what drives a potential buyer to purchase a product is integral to developing effective marketing strategies and driving your company toward success.

Author Bio:

Al-moottil P Antony is a C-Suite Executive Support Professional for Zain, a leading mobile and data services operator with a commercial footprint in 8 Middle Eastern and African countries.

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