5 things to consider when developing great mobile experiences

The mobile device has become an essential part of everyday customer lives. A recent IAB Australia report suggests 86 per cent of people aged 14 and above own a smartphone in Australia, with 14.5 million using this device to go online daily.

There are 17.2 million smartphones owned in Australia and 11.6 million tablets, confirming what many businesses already knew: mobile devices are the key to connecting with a desired audience.

But is the mobile device the best way to increase engagement and drive sales? And what impact does the Customer Experience (CX) have? Mobile devices are the key to connecting with a desired audience.

According to the Salesforce 2017 State of Marketing Report, 68 per cent of businesses have integrated mobile marketing strategies into their overall marketing strategy.

Creating a mobile experience for customers however isn’t just about making your website ‘mobile friendly’ or moving your bricks and mortar processes online.

The result of this approach is often a short-sighted mobile site which typically only includes contact information, location information, opening times and sometimes the ability to transact online. An effective mobile experience can be multi-faceted, data driven and customer-centric and many businesses are starting to realise the full potential.

Here are five key insights to consider when developing mobile experiences which our research suggest will add value to your business and have a positive impact on your customers.

1. Think outside the square

Customers expect a refined user journey across all their devices when interacting with a business online. Digital channels offer organisations opportunities to create experiences which go beyond those expectations. 

It is the experiences which surprise and delight the customer and add real value which can make a business stand out in a very crowded global marketplace.

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2. Be customer centric

Too often businesses approach customer interactions from a product or service perspective and place all the value in what these interactions can do for them, as a business. What businesses should be doing is shifting their thinking so they become a customer-centric champion. This means treating each customer as an individual with one-to-one personalised experiences.

This customer focused approach will lead to experiences and communications that are more valuable to a customer and can help drive loyalty, stand out from the crowd, increase engagement and boost sales.

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3. Leverage data

Leveraging data seems to be an obvious piece of advice but so few businesses do this well. Often data can be hard to access as it’s either locked away in silos across the business, in various formats or out of date.

Customer profile and behavioural data should be collected and leveraged to define the customer experience businesses take to market and analytics can be used to refine those experiences over time. Even a simple approach to data can yield fantastic results.

This could be in the form of Single Customer Views, basic Segmentation or simple Journey Mapping.  A more sophisticated approach can include lead scoring, predictive modelling, data analytics and machine learning.

The outcome of such an approach can often redefine how the organisation operates, how they go to market, what products and services they offer or what promotions to run and when. 

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4. Don’t concentrate on any one channel

Businesses need to think about every customer touch point as an opportunity to improve the customer experience. 

Rather than approach mobile marketing with a singular focus and look at it in isolation from other marketing channels, businesses could create a whole ecosystem of interactions following the unique journeys customers take across multiple channels, for instance, from a mobile app, to a website, then eventually to a call centre.

The mobile experience could then play a role in a much broader engagement with a customer, improving processes, efficiency and also loyalty.

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5. Measure ROI

If a business is investing in improving the customer experience through a new channel, a new service and new technology, then they will want to measure the return on such an investment.

A positive return will reassure the management team that it’s been a worthwhile exercise. There are a number of different metrics that can be used to measure the ROI of customer experiences depending on the type of business

The obvious ones are sales and revenue but engagement and customer satisfaction (Net Promoter Score) can also be used.

The growth in mobile is continuing exponentially and businesses need to know how they can reach their audiences using the right mobile experiences. Being customer centric is at the forefront of making a mobile experience work, and continuing to improve the customer experience will inevitably improve conversions and customer loyalty.

 

Az Yousaf, Managing Director

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