Mobile is such a staggeringly pivotal asset for loyalty marketers today. Customers expect brands to be able to provide the type of mobile experience that, ultimately, impacts brand loyalty.
Yet, according to a new study from Sitecore (a global leader in experience management software), a vast majority of brands is not prepared when it comes to implementing a mobile strategy and is not allocating sufficient resources to maintain, adapt, and improve the mobile experience in a way that aligns with dynamic consumer expectations.
According to the study, 97% of brands believe a good mobile experience impacts customer loyalty. But, 41% of respondents indicated that they have either no mobile strategy in place at all, or have some form of mobile strategy that has yet to be implemented.
Meanwhile, 70% of these brands believe that their organizations will not deliver on a mobile experience strategy for at least another six months.
What’s more, when it comes to describing how their organization currently interacts with consumers on mobile, only 51% of brands reported that their companies personalize content for mobile web customers while just 61% have a mobile-optimized website in place.
Of the brands that are planning or have begun to implement a mobile experience strategy, 98% reported that the organization has been affected by the focus on mobile customer experience in some way. For 53%, mobile investment has led to structural reorganizations or new teams and departments, while for 46%, it has led to budget reductions in other areas of the business to allow for additional investment.
“As mobile devices have overtaken PCs for Internet access, brands must include the mobile environment when defining the customer experiences they deliver,” said Scott Anderson, CMO, Sitecore. “Consumers now expect a contextual experience inclusive of mobile and will reward brands with loyalty for doing so while punishing those that don’t with decreased business. All consumers today should be considered the mobile consumer.”
Here are some additional key study findings:
Brands and consumers agree:
-97% and 76%, respectively, affirm that seamless mobile experiences have an impact on brand loyalty.
Security features (such as password log-in), speed and convenience are the top three factors that make a good mobile experience.
-96% and 66%, respectively, agree that mobile expectations and requirements will change within the next three years.
-Only 23% of brands are able to measure their mobile experience performance based on KPIs.
-Only 48% of brands report that their organizations are currently delivering a seamless mobile experience to their customers.
The study is based on a survey of 4,500 global consumers and 450 brands conducted by Vanson Bourne in January and February 2016. The quantitative survey sampled mobile users and reflects a representative mix of digital consumers aged 18 and older from 11 countries.