In the past, brands were nowhere near customers when their journey transitioned from interest to intent. This behavior gave brands new opportunities through the measurable customer journey, with a massive digital advertising and marketing industry built to take advantage of it. And intent can become a purchase any time, anywhere. Brands started with the traditional marketing model: Create a path for a customer, from brand advertisement to the store. Research: “Research mode” is a critical step in the intent-driven customer journey. Successful brands reset the “discovery” process at the time of purchase using the new insights to make things personal - with a specific offer if they offer a product review, personalized messages that recommend additional products, or a checkin to make sure the consumer likes the product. Make it Personal In the mobile model, the marketer understands that the consumer is going to buy what they like, at any time. The content is personalized for an intent to purchase, but if someone did buy shoes somewhere else, the information is still relevant and fun to browse. Consumers already expect highly personalized experiences. It’s time for brands to make the change.
With mobile capabilities in hand, consumer interest can shift to intent almost immediately.
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In the past, brands were nowhere near customers when their journey transitioned from interest to intent. Maybe my dad became interested in a pair of great new golf shoes he saw in a magazine, but he didn’t intend to buy them until he saw a buddy wear them on the course. It might be days before he had a chance to drive to the store.
Then we had desktop computers, and brands could put themselves closer to the moment that people moved from interest to intent. Maybe before buying those golf shoes, my dad actually went home, powered up his desktop and searched for a nearby store to see where he could buy those shoes at the best price. This behavior gave brands new opportunities through the measurable customer journey, with a massive digital advertising and marketing industry built to take advantage of it.
Today, it’s me on the course with my dad, and if he likes my golf shoes, I can text him a URL for them and he can buy instantly, or go read reviews about them, all before finishing out the hole. The purchase journey can become almost instant.
In other words, intent has changed. With mobile capabilities in hand, consumer interest can shift to intent almost immediately. And intent can become a purchase any time, anywhere.
Related: 4 Tips for Creating Mobile-First Content That Converts
Be Ready
Purpose, goal, objective, target. Synonyms of intent make it clear – customers with intent are in control. This evolution is an enormous opportunity for brands. Forrester finds that mobile phones will be used in some way for one third of all purchases in the US in 2018, equalling $1 trillion in sales. Brands can be there when it matters, but to succeed, they have to change.
Brands started with the traditional marketing model: Create a path for a customer, from brand advertisement to the store. Digital taught brands to maximize messaging for each customer “touchpoint” in a more complex journey, from ads, to email, to search to store. Mobile represents the next leap: Marketers must be present when consumers are discovering, researching and purchasing wherever they are.
Bain and Company research finds that people consume 25 percent of their media on mobile, while marketers only spend 13 percent of their budgets on the channel – brands are already underestimating the importance of mobile. But, the bigger issue is that “much of that advertising isn’t…
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