Micro-Moments Matter

Written on 12/3/15 4:57 PM

You look to your phone to find the nearest café, turn on your tablet to order a holiday gift, and open your laptop to search for a video that teaches you how to install a new faucet.

The Internet is where we go to learn, search, and purchase, and even though they’ve become commonplace and embedded in our everyday lives, these events actually have a name – micro-moments.

The thing about these micro-moments is that they aren’t really moments at all, but a series of moments that make up the reality of today’s consumer behavior – and the challenge for marketers. There is no predictable “on-line” behavior, but rather many fragmented, instantaneous interactions – and hundreds of them occur every day.

Consumers are waiting in line or commuting, killing time while waiting for someone or something, and yet they’re engaged. They’re looking to their Internet devices for information or amusement. Later on, they continue that journey on another device.

Google offers up this analogy: The old model was a four-course meal in the same restaurant. Today’s is a series of constant bite sized snacks all over town. These micro-moments aren’t random, but rather moments of high intent and engagement:

• 69% of leisure travelers who are smart phone users search for travel ideas during spare moments, like when they’re standing in line or waiting for the subway, and nearly half of those travelers go on to book their choices through an entirely separate channel
• 91% of smartphone users look up information on their smartphones while in the middle of a task
• 82% consult their phones while they’re standing in a store deciding which product to buy, and one in 10 of those end up buying a different product than they had planned
• 69% agree that the quality, timing, or relevance of a company’s message influences their perception of a brand

How can marketers meet customers in the micro-moment?

• Identify these new moments to learn how to make each one matter
• Outline and invest in a series of contextual micro journeys that meet customers in their domain when, where and how they unfold
• Connect consumer intent with the desired outcome in the micro-moment

Micro-moments create opportunities for brands to personalize experiences and content to drive brand conversation and perception, and build lasting connections with customers.

Want to read more about Google’s thoughts on micro-moments? Go here.