First Published on www.mycustomer.com
Brands must wake up to ‘Mobile Economic Time’ and deliver an optimised, secure mobile online customer experience or risk losing customers and damaging their brand, a new study has found.
The average Smartphone and Tablet PC user has converted their ‘dead-time’ into ‘Mobile Economic Time’, which is equivalent to 38 days or nearly five and half weeks per year, finds new research conducted on behalf of CA Technologies.
Mobile Economic Time empowers these Smartphone and tablet PC users to make better use of their ‘dead-time’ to do more in their day-to-day lives—from routine work related tasks, to online shopping, banking and networking. With more sophisticated devices being sold together with unlimited data packages being offered by many network providers, savvy consumers are using their time more effectively.
But the growth in Mobile Economic Time has led to heightened consumer expectations in terms of service experience, with users applying the same zero tolerance attitude towards any business they engage with via their Smartphone or Tablet PC as they do with their PC. Consumers increasingly have a zero tolerance attitude to online brands and apps that fail to deliver a secure and positive mobile online experience 24/7.
Professor Chanaka Jayawardhena, an internet services marketing expert who worked with CA Technologies on the study explains: “Watching TV, Leisure Time and Commuting are three daily events used to calculate ‘Mobile Economic Time’. During these episodes Smartphone and Tablet PC users are most likely to use their devices to interact with online brands and businesses.
“The 38 day a year calculation demonstrates the significance of ‘Mobile Economic Time’ to brands and commerce. Anything less than a superior and secure mobile online experience is bad for business. Companies that are serious about retaining existing customers and attracting new ones must wake-up to ‘Mobile Economic Time’. It is an opportunity for them to deliver a compelling and memorable interaction which will positively influence buying behaviour,” Jayawardhena added.
The considerable growth in Smartphones and Tablet PC’s has enabled consumers to do more with their time. Worldwide media tablet sales to end users are forecast to reach 54.8 million units in 2011, up 181 per cent from 2010, and are predicted to surpass 208 million units in 2014, according to analyst Gartner.
“This study is a ‘wake-up’ call for businesses to recognise the importance of Mobile Economic Time, as consumers and knowledge workers use their Smartphones and Tablet PCs to engage with brands and increase their productivity,” says Kobi Korsah, product marketing director, CA Technologies, EMEA.
“To make the most of Mobile Economic Time and drive revenue, growth, and customer satisfaction, organisations need to proactively assure and manage their mobile presence at a time when many Smartphone and tablet PC users have no limits on their data consumption and appetite for mobile apps. By focusing on the delivery of a positive and secure mobile online customer experience, these organisations will enhance their brand loyalty, increase revenues, and generate new market opportunities.”
According to feedback from some of the consumers who were interviewed as part of this study, the real world mobile user experience falls well short of its promises. Security concerns, poorly designed mobile web user interfaces, and an unsatisfactory user experience make consumers reluctant to convert their previously ‘dead time’ into ‘mobile purchasing/working/play moments’.
Comments
Post has no comments.