Mobile searchers want to buy NOW and FAST (new research)
Consumers on mobile devices are all about speed, and not just for downloads of their favorite YouTube videos.
New data from Google’s VP of Marketing for the Americas, Lisa Gevelber, shows that mobile searchers are increasingly impatient when they are ready to make a purchase. More and more, they will go for whoever is open now, has the stock now, and/or can ship it by the fastest means.
Searching for “Open Now”
For example, Google Trends shows that searches for “open now” have tripled over the past two years, while searches for “store hours” have dropped.
This reflects how having an always-on computer in the palm of their hands has affected consumer behavior. The mobile consumer is more impulsive, more spur-of-the moment in her purchasing decisions. Her smartphone has enabled and encouraged that mindset.
Consumers are now more loyal to their need than to a particular place.
We Want It and We Want It NOW
The Google data also reveals that mobile searches for “same day shipping” have increased 120% since 2015. This means that online sellers must be as ready to be “in the moment” as brick and mortar local stores.
Of course, this need for speed carries over into the web site experience you provide these searchers. These behaviors underscore the need to be “mobile friendly” with a site that loads fast and is easy to read and use on a mobile device screen.
It also means you have to have pages that match up well with the new ways people search on mobile, especially the increasing number wh0 use voice to search on their phones.
Be a First Fast Mover
If you do business online, or have an online presence for your physical locations, these should be your immediate priorities:
- Create a mobile-friendly version of your site. Research shows if a site takes more than 3 seconds to load, 53% of visitor will leave, and conversion fall by 12%.
- Regularly evaluate how easy your site is to navigate and use on mobile devices. Ask people who are unfamiliar with you site to try to make a purchase or find specific information on their smartphones while you watch.
- Highlight on your site any ways in which your ability to deliver what you sell is “fast,” “easy,” or “available now.” Especially feature fast shipping options.
Mobile is now the way most people search for what they want or need. Be sure you meet their need for speed!
