Consumers Favor Brand Searches On Mobile Sites
- by Gavin O'Malley @mp_gavin, June 27, 2013
Despite their
leading role in many mobile conversations, new research shows that apps should merely support a brand’s broader strategy. Across top global markets, only 27% of consumers claim to commonly download an app when prompted to do so online, despite 75% being exposed to such prompts. In addition, 76% of respondents said they would not engage in a brand’s Web site that was not optimized for mobile, a third (32%) of those consumers would not return to the Web site at all, preferring to either to give up or try a competitor’s Web site instead.
That’s according to new findings from mobile software firm Netbiscuits, which surveyed 5,000 consumers in ten markets, including the United States, the United Kingdom, India, and China.
When browsing or searching for information on the mobile Web, 79% of respondents globally said they would prefer to have the option of using a mobile Web site, as opposed to 18% who were happy just using native apps.
“These views are critical in defining how brands engage with their customers online,” said Sally Applin, a social anthropologist and Ph.D. candidate.
For better or worse, consumers have only begun to embrace the mobile Web. Already, one in four people now spend a third of their waking life -- or about six hours per day -- on the mobile Web. Still, less than half reported being totally satisfied with their mobile experience.
What are most consumers looking for in good mobile experience? Speed! Indeed, 61% of consumers globally say faster download of content would increase their satisfaction with the mobile Web experience.
3 comments about "Consumers Favor Brand Searches On Mobile Sites".
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So a provider who specializes in delivering mobile internet CMS has statistics that support ... the sale of their mobile internet product - what a happy coincidence!
Dumb biased survey PR pieces like this give all research a bad name in the mobile industry. I wrote a bit about this awful trend here - http://somedigitalthinking.com/2013/04/24/lies-damned-lies-and-statistics-from-media-ownersnetworks/
And really - 1/4 of people spend 6 hours per day on the mobile web? Do they really? REALLY??
But hey - maybe I am not that smart as I am not a 'social anthropologist and PhD candidate ;)
While I do believe the browser rules for many use cases, it doesn't for all. More importantly, I agree with Tim's comment that this type of vendor-driven research should be viewed with a grain of salt or be presented with some sort of disclaimer about who paid for the study. There is a valid discussion to be had about preferences for and time spent in app vs. browser on mobile. It's a nuanced conversation that needs to consider context and factors such as modality of use, content type, connection speed, and a host of other factors that may drive a consumer to one platform or another. Too bad that didn't happen in the article. Would be great to dive deep into that rather than publish a dubious study and print a misleading headline designed to drive clicks.
This app vs. mWeb argument is tiring, and it never factors in where users are in their customer journey. Some quick thoughts:
-Customers indeed spend more time on mweb than they do on branded apps from Target, Wells Fargo, Southwest & others.
- But they spend more time on apps like Facebook, Netflix, Mint and others who are not directly tied to a consumer brand.
- mWeb's greatest impact is near the top of the marketing funnel.
- App's do better down the funnel--downloading an app is a conversion act after all.
- You can survive without an app; you're dead if you overlook mWeb.