Micro-moments In Mobile Commerce -

Mobile devices have become an important part of our daily lives. We use them for communication, entertainment, knowledge, and increasingly for commerce. The ways in which consumers interact with their mobile devices have created new patterns of behavior and new expectations for seamless, instantaneous experiences. This has led to the rise of “micro-moments” in mobile shopping.

What are Micro-moments?

Micro-moments are intent-rich moments when consumers turn to their mobile devices to take action or make a choice. They typically appear when someone wants to know, go, do, or buy something. Micro-moments often happen throughout the customer journey, from initial research to final purchase. They represent important touchpoints when preferences can be shaped and choices finalized.

Google research has found four main types of micro-moments:

I-want-to-know moments: When consumers want immediate answers to questions or need more knowledge. They use their mobile device to quickly study and learn something right in the moment.
I-want-to-go moments: When consumers have decided what they want and now need directions or help getting there. They use their mobile device to find the business address or navigate there.
I-want-to-do moments: When customers want to quickly accomplish something, like making a restaurant reservation, reading reviews, or downloading an app. Their mobile device helps them to get it done instantly.
I-want-to-buy moments: When consumers are ready to make a purchase and expect to finish the transaction seamlessly on their mobile device.

What all micro-moments have in common is immediacy and purpose. The customer has a pressing need or desire that their mobile device allows them to address right away. Brands that can fulfill these micro-moments gain an edge with today’s on-demand consumers.

Micro-Moments Matter in Mobile Commerce

Micro-moments have a major impact on mobile commerce for several key reasons:

Mobile is the go-to device: Mobile has become consumers’ constant companion and preferred gadget for addressing wants in the moment. Over 5 billion people worldwide now use mobile gadgets.
Immediacy and comfort are expected: Mobile allows finding information, purchasing, or getting things done anywhere in an instant. Consumers expect speed and ease.
Attention spans are short: The average mobile contact lasts less than two minutes. Brands have mere seconds to capture attention before consumers move on.
Competition is one tap away: Mobile consumers can easily move to a competitor with just one tap. Relevance, utility, and seamless experiences are important.
Purchasing paths are nonlinear: Mobile purchasing choices happen in complex consumer journeys across multiple micro-moments and devices.
Personalization is prized: Mobile consumers expect experiences tailored to their individual wants and context. Generalized methods miss the mark.
Loyalty must be earned: With endless choice on mobile, brands must show their value repeatedly at each micro-moment to earn ongoing loyalty.

In essence, micro-moments represent a massive change in power and expectations. Mobile consumers are fully in control of how they research, find, and buy on their own terms. Brands that can adapt to micro-moment demands gain edge; those that don’t will cede ground to competitors.

Optimizing for Micro-Moments in Mobile Commerce

To connect with today’s mobile consumers, brands must focus on optimizing two key aspects – presence and purpose:

Presence

Being present and ready to meet customer needs the instant a micro-moment arises. This requires:

Mobile-first indexing: Ensuring mobile sites are crawlable, indexable, and visible in mobile search results.
Fast mobile pages: Optimizing site speed so pages load in 3 seconds or less on mobile. Speed is important in micro-moments.

Accurate local information: Providing accurate business info like addresses, phone numbers and store hours in local search ads.
Seamless journeys: Linking online and offline touchpoints to make smooth transitions across micro-moments.
App visibility: Making apps easy to find through search, app store optimization and deep links.

Purpose

Offering true utility matched to customer intent in each micro-moment. This means:

Micro-moment insights: Understanding the unique purpose and context of common micro-moments focused on know, go, do and buy.
Intent-matched content: Creating content tailored to the wants and intent of each micro-moment.
Simplified commerce: Removing friction from mobile purchase processes through easy checkout and alternate payment choices.
Personalized experiences: Using data and intelligence to tailor experiences to where customers are, what they want, and who they are.
Proactive engagement: Anticipating needs and proactively reaching out in the times that matter most to consumers.

Getting presence and purpose right allows brands to successfully connect with consumers throughout their mobile journeys. Yet in today’s dynamic mobile world, achieving this requires an ongoing process of testing, learning and optimizing.

Real-World Examples of Micro-Moment Marketing

Many top brands have embraced micro-moment marketing and seen impressive results:

Starbucks: Created a voice ordering app so customers can order ahead for pick up in just a few taps. The app saw a 23% rise in transactions after launch.
Hilton: Implemented a digital key so Hilton Honors members can use their smartphone to open room doors. This simplified check-in and boosted the arrival experience.
Sephora: Developed a virtual artist app allowing shoppers to test makeup without visiting a store. The app drove higher in-store buy rates for engaged users.
Domino’s: Enables zero-click pizza ordering through AI assistant apps and linked appliances. Over 60% of orders now come from digital sources.
Uber: Adjusts pricing dynamically to match supply and demand, getting more drivers on the road when wait times rise. This ensures service availability in peak micro-moments.
OpenTable: Lets diners quickly book reservations 24/7 from anywhere via mobile. Reservations from mobile users grew 45% year-over-year.

These examples show how brands are leveraging mobile to create seamless, personalized micro-moment experiences. While tactics must be tailored to each brand, the principles are uniform – meet your customer at the right place, at the right time, with the right message.

The Future of Micro-Moments

Looking ahead, here are a few key trends that will shape the future of micro-moments:

Micro-moments will proliferate: As dependence on mobile grows, micro-moments will become ever more regular and varied. Brands must expand coverage across journey sites.
Mobile shopping will be pervasive: Mobile buying will account for 72% of ecommerce sales by 2025, up from 54% in 2020. Frictionless trade will be expected everywhere.
Video usage will surge: Video made up 50% of mobile traffic in 2018 and will grow to 79% by 2022. Brands must accept video across the funnel.

AI will reshape engagement: Artificial intelligence and augmented reality will allow personalized, proactive recommendations and experiences tuned precisely to the moment.
Offline will join with online: Mobile interfaces with IoT devices will bridge digital and real worlds to blend ecommerce with brick-and-mortar.
5G will bring new capabilities: Faster connectivity will allow richer mobile experiences like VR/AR shopping, better location-based services, and real-time engagement.

To stay ahead, brands must take a mobile-first, micro-moment mindset focused on understanding intent, offering utility, and delivering personalization at the speed consumers expect. While constant change is guaranteed, brands that master these capabilities will be ready to win the next wave of mobile moments.

Conclusion

In today’s mobile-centric world, micro-moments have become the new battleground for capturing consumer interest and engagement. To connect with always-on, on-demand consumers, brands must be ready to serve their needs in the instant they appear. By optimizing for presence and purpose across the mobile journey, brands can predict these intent-rich moments and provide utility matched to consumers’ context and intent. While micro-moments create a challenging environment, they also present massive possibilities for brands that can perfect the art and science of mobile-moment marketing.