A Guide to Consumer Experience Online

 

In the yesteryears, it took quite a while before a shopper makes a decision on which brand to buy along the aisles of grocery stores or supermarkets. But as years go by, technology gifted men with exciting innovations. Handsets became powerful than ever before. From just sending voice calls across the globe to efficiently communicate, handsets became wireless and less chunky yet powerful.  It started sending short messages, then became integrated with applications such as radio and camera. It also became an all-in-one device that stores different type of media. And when the processors and new wireless technologies came in to play. A simple mobile phone became smarter that it began doing the sophisticated capabilities of a personal computer. It became faster and more efficient that people became more reliant on this technology wherever they go.

And at the birth of the web 2.0, it only takes some apps like the social networking sites, a mobile browser, and data connection to shift the entire user experience into what we call “digital precipice”. And as of today, the current global population spent an average of 135 minutes (2.25 hours) online.  That means that when the average sleeping hours of the global population is 387 minutes (6.45 hours), the global population is spending an average of 14.45% of their time online when they are awake.

Human Attention Span Getting Smaller than ever

Though the 2.25 hours seems a huge time span to capture their attention, it is important to note that it is the summation of all their online activities throughout the day. They spend it in between work and school breaks, traveling time, and idle times at home. That only means that when they are online, they are multi-tasking, making their attention span shorter than ever.

In a study made by Microsoft two years back, it was revealed the average human attention span is at eight-seconds, making it shorter than the attention span of the goldfishes at nine (9). And to be able to successfully send messages and ideas online, it should be useful and interesting enough that it can capture people’s attention in eight seconds or less.

And surprisingly, the new realities of the audiences and consumers right now are their experiences online within that eight (8) seconds margin. New statistics from Google revealed that you only have six (6) to eight (8) seconds to get online audiences’ attention. And whether we like it or not, the realities of user experience all happens within an average moment of 7 seconds – and that is what Google calls micro-moments.

What are micro-moments?

Micro-moments are the collective activities and experiences of people online. It is the usual things we look at or search for online. And usually, these moments are so short, menial, unnoticeable, but are collectively an indication of our total online experience.

When we search for something, yet we couldn’t find it in a snap of a finger, we tend to shift search terms, or applications used, even the people we talk to just to get what we want to know.  This is a perfect example of micro-moments.

New Consumer Reality

Micro-moments are the new consumer reality these days. Consumer relies on their smartphones to make pre-purchase validations. before making actual purchase both online and offline. This is what has transformed purchase patterns of consumers over a decade.

In between those micro-moments online, within those quick tapping of their phones, and impatient waiting for seconds, a business has to be there with them – a brand has to be in there showing them the things they need to get quickly. This reality among consumers is slowly becoming the reality for brands and businesses.

Do you need to adapt to this new reality?

Technology brings life new experiences. And these experiences are either bad or good. If people feel good about these experiences using new technologies, it will remain as good memories and it will last for months or even a year. The same goes with bad experiences – they become bad memories.

And in relations to businesses and brands, the economy of mobile and consumer experience requires businesses to be on their toes always, especially in terms of improving their customer’s experience towards their brand, be it tangible products or services.

Why? Because consumer experience these days are easily shared with other people online. Good experiences spread like a heart-warming story, or like a Good-Samaritan story, people will love. Bad experiences, on the other hand, spread like a wild-fire that turn everything in its path into ashes. In short, customer experiences shared online about your brand can either make or break your business.

These experiences are the online consumer micro-moments that brands and businesses should be very particular about. These moments sandwiched in seven (7) seconds has gained powers to change the course on how businesses should reconfigure the way they used to do their businesses.

So, do you need to adapt to this new reality online? The answer is a clear YES!

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And if you are ready to take on this new challenge, let iManila help you make consumer-based strategies to enhance your business’s marketing. Learn more about our digital marketing services by clicking the link below.