Google Releases Micro-Moments Data

Micro-moments is a phrase that is mentioned a lot in digital marketing circles these days.

Last month, Google announced several mobile-centric updates for AdWords, including image-based ads for car manufacturers, and explained that the updates were in response to mobile’s impact on the way that consumers are now making purchasing decisions. Google has now released data on what this behavior actually looks like.

According to Google’s research, as mobile’s share of web sessions has increased 20% in the past year, the time spent per visit has actually fallen by 18%. These days, users go on and off their phone quickly and often to find information, while mobile conversion rates have increased by 29%.

The head of AdWords, Jerry Dischler, has said that the idea of a linear customer journey is long gone. As opposed to spending large amounts of time researching products on a desktop or laptop, most people use their phones in a series of small time increments. This type of behavior is referred to as micro-moments, and it occurs primarily on mobile devices.

Google’s study indicates that 60% of online consumers said that they make purchasing decisions faster due to online research now in comparison to just a few years ago. For brands and marketers, the challenge is to be visible in these micro-moments, to capture interest and action when consumers pick up their phone during their purchase decision making. Increasingly, consumers expect instant gratification based on their personal agendas and goals. The prevalence of micro-moments makes consumer behavior less predictable than it has been in the past, and marketers should be adjusting their ad campaigns accordingly. Google’s research found that consumers are now often more loyal to their need in the moment than they are to a particular brand or product, so being visible in decision making moments has become a crucial aspect of successful marketing campaigns.

Google has launched a website called Micro-Moments, where it houses the insights that the company is collecting on consumers’ mobile behavior. For example, 82% of smartphone users research products on their phones when they are making in-store purchases. Google’s website may be helpful for marketers to allow them to better understand both the opportunities and the challenges of creating the right messages that reach the right audience during these micro-moments. The data that Google has collected certainly illustrates the major changes that have occurred in consumer behavior in recent times.

“Mobile has forever changed the way we live, and it’s forever changed what we expect of brands,” wrote Google on its website. “It’s fractured the consumer journey into hundreds of real-time, intent-driven micro-moments. Each one is a critical opportunity for brands to shape our decisions and preferences.”