The study of 4,500 mobile consumers and 450 brands indicated 93 percent of consumers would respond "against a brand if they felt that their expectations were not being completely met."
Also, the study revealed 33 percent of consumers would walk away from a brand entirely if they felt a brand did not fully support their needs.
How brands can meet rising mobile experience expectations
1. DEMAND MORE FROM MOBILE
How to keep
pace with mobile
consumer
expectations
Vanson Bourne research reveals
gap between what brands offer
and what consumers want
3. White paper // How to keep pace with mobile consumer expectations
2
Forew0rd
Excerpted from “Mobile is eating the world,” by Brian Solis
All too often, mobile’s role in the digital marketing ecosystem
is relegated to a portable version of the desktop web. This
isn’t going to work any longer. By prioritizing desktop-based
web strategies and not innovating for mobile-first and mobile-
only experiences, brands are missing critical new moments to
engage customers.
“Mediumism” prevents marketers from absorbing or feeling
the culture and nature of engagement and how people
interact with information and one another, why, and what
makes for incredible experiences.
“I call this ‘mediumism,’ placing inordinate value,
time, and resources on yet another platform or
channel without understanding its relevance and
value to the user.”
— Brian Solis
Even though many marketers are designing for the smaller
screen through responsive design and even developing
custom apps, they need to think more philosophically about
what mobile means to consumers and the role it plays in their
personal and professional lives.
I mean who wants or needs another app? Just because you
build it doesn’t mean they will come.
And, what’s the point of a website in a mobile era, beyond
being responsive and functional on a smaller screen? Does
anyone with a smartphone actually enjoy a mobile website or
landing page?
It’s time to rethink everything and the role that sites, apps,
etc., play in the new customer journey.
People want you to design a mobile experience that helps
them go through their journey. They want businesses to
understand their intent and design content, paths, and
outcomes that align with the context of each moment of
truth. They don’t want generic click paths, marketing-speak,
creative gimmicks, or friction-filled experiences.
If consumers don’t want commodity content or made-to-fit
mobile experiences, what exactly do they want? Finding the
answer unlocks your opportunities for innovation.
1 Mobile is eating the world
Mobile is eating the world
Four ways to rethink customer experiences
as mobile-first and mobile-only
by Brian Solis
DEMAND MORE FROM MOBILE
4. White paper // How to keep pace with mobile consumer expectations
3
Introduction
In recent years, the explosion of mobile technology has
put a device in the pockets of more and more consumers
worldwide (3.65 billion in 2015, to be exact1
). With it comes
increasing knowledge and empowerment as consumers can
directly connect to a brand 24/7. This has led to a noticeable
shift in consumers’ purchasing behavior. Riding on the
coattails of mobile technology’s growth comes the rise of
“the mobile experience.” By channeling the mobile experience
of consumers, brands are now focused on giving consumers
a better, more engaging experience, right from initial
information gathering, to making a purchase, through to post-
purchase care and support.
Sitecore commissioned this research because we believe that
true mobile readiness for brands is less about the device and
more about the customer journey/experience. With brands
now just the swipe of a touch screen away, more consumers
are moving to mobile as a primary way of interacting and
purchasing. As a result, they are developing a heightened
awareness of the differences between a good and a bad
mobile experience and forming defined ideas of which
mobile elements are important to them. But the more people
discover what they like, the greater their expectations will
grow, and it will not stop there. Organizations must keep pace
or risk being left behind. To explore all of this in more detail,
this study asks:
■■ What makes a good mobile experience, and are
consumer expectations being met?
■■ What is the status of brand mobile strategies?
■■ Do brands know and understand where they need to
improve?
■■ Do they have the resources to make it happen?
Summary of key findings
Many factors make up a good mobile experience, and
expectations will continue to develop
■■ Convenience (48%), security (46%), and speed (42%)
are the most common elements of a good mobile
experience for consumers
■■ Two-thirds (66%) of consumers say that their mobile
expectations will change over the next three years,
with personalization (35%) coming to the forefront
Mobile’s importance when purchasing is growing
■■ More than eight in ten (84%) consumer respondents
search for items on their mobile device before
purchasing
■■ Around a fifth (19%) of consumer respondents are
already using mobile to make the majority of their
online purchases, and this will increase to a third (33%)
in three years’ time
When their mobile expectations are not met, consumers
are not afraid to act
■■ The majority (93%) would take action against a brand
if they felt that their expectations were not being
completely met, with a third (33%) saying they would
walk away from the brand in question altogether
The mobile experience can be a key potential
differentiator for brands
■■ Three-quarters (76%) of consumers say that a good
mobile experience influences their loyalty to a brand
■■ Eight in ten (80%) report that the mobile experience
is now a priority consideration when deciding when to
make a purchase
Many brands are overconfident in their ability to
completely meet consumer mobile expectations…
■■ Over half (57%) of brands believe that customers’
mobile security needs are completely met, but only
28% of consumers agree
■■ Only three in ten (30%) consumers say that their
mobile personalization expectations are being
completely met—almost half (47%) of brands believe
otherwise
…And they lack the insight and tools to improve
■■ Less than half (45%) of brands are combining mobile
customer data with their CRM data
■■ Only around half of brands report that they have
completely integrated mobile with other channels
such as web (53%) and social media (49%)
1
http://www.slideshare.net/wearesocialsg/digital-social-mobile-in-2015/6-We_Are_Social_
wearesocialsg_6GLOBAL
5. White paper // How to keep pace with mobile consumer expectations
4
Improving security is the first step that brands must take
on the path to providing a better mobile experience
■■ Only around one in ten (9–11%) consumers describe
themselves as “completely confident” in organizations’
abilities to store and use their data appropriately
■■ The majority (84%) of consumer respondents would
like to see additional security features used by brands
when on mobile
Mobile experiences are falling short of
consumer expectations
Shifting mobile device usage and habits
For almost all (96%) consumers, the smartphone remains the
key mobile device that they own and use; however, many are
also turning to bigger screens with close to two-thirds (64%)
using a tablet. These mobile devices are increasingly likely to
be always on and at hand during the day. On average,
consumers check their mobile device within 29 minutes of
waking up and keep them at hand for up to 10 hours.
The function of a mobile device continues to move beyond its
basic communication roots—consumers now channel a wide
range of activities all in the palm of their hand—with mobile
now playing an important role in the purchasing decision.
Over eight in ten (84%) consumers search for items to buy on
mobile before taking the plunge, and around half (49%) are
already using their device as a method of payment. Things will
not stop there—more and more consumers expect to turn to
mobile as their primary online purchasing device over the
traditional desktop/laptop. For around a fifth (19%) this is
already the case, and during the next three years, mobile-first
will grow further to a third (33%) of consumers.
The key branded apps that consumers use reflect their
growing dependence on and use of mobile—over half (54%)
say that online banking and consumer goods apps are the
most commonly used on their mobile device.
They look to apps to incentivize and facilitate their interaction
with brands, with the majority reporting that the most
important elements that a brand app should offer are offers/
discounts (70%) and points rewards (63%) on purchases. More
than half (55%) expect geolocation capabilities from apps in
terms of being informed of the nearest store.
19%
33%
Online buying: mobile vs. desktop
All or mostly mobile
Currently
In three years’ time
64%
45%
All or mostly desktop PC/laptop
Currently
In three years’ time
Figure 1: Consumer respondents’ use of mobile or desktop devices to make most
of their online purchases, both currently and in three years’ time. All consumer
respondents (4,500).
54%
54%
42%
41%
38%
30%
28%
23%
Use of branded mobile apps
Online banking
Buying consumer goods
Monitoring household bills
Making or checking
travel reservations
Accessing vouchers/discounts
Currency conversion
Paying for food/drink
Hiring a car service
Figure 2: Analysis of which branded apps consumers use the most on their
mobile device(s). All consumer respondents (4,500).
6. White paper // How to keep pace with mobile consumer expectations
5
What do consumers expect from a
good mobile experience?
Along with the significant levels of device use established,
the majority (76%) of consumers say there is at least one
important element for them when it comes to having a
good mobile experience. But no common stand-out element
emerges, so brands need to pay careful attention across a
wide range of requirements.
The three most common expectations of mobile all form what
can be interpreted as the bedrock of the mobile experience—
convenience (48%) through shopping anywhere, anytime;
security (46%) in terms of data handling; and speed (42%) of
making purchases. If brands can get these things right, they
will be off to a good start.
Beyond these fundamentals, consumers expect good mobile
experiences to include responsive customer service (25%), the
ability to compare options before deciding (25%), and a
well-designed, functional user experience (23%). In the future,
mobile experience qualities that consumers ranked lower may
start to rise in importance—assuming the fundamentals
are being fulfilled. Close to a fifth of consumers already
report continuity (18%) across web and mobile platforms
and personalization (17%) as key mobile expectations. With
the continuing growth in mobile device use when purchasing,
these factors will surely continue to increase in the
coming years.
As consumers develop and fine-tune what they consider
important in a mobile experience, they will start to compare
brands with their peers. This becomes apparent when noting
that over three-quarters (76%) of consumers say that a
good mobile experience influences their loyalty to a brand,
and eight in ten (80%) report that the mobile experience is
now a priority consideration when deciding when to make
a purchase. Brands already competing and differentiating
themselves based on things like price, product quality,
or customer service, now have mobile as an additional
dimension to consider.
Brands cannot ignore the impact that mobile experiences can
have on attracting and retaining consumers. The bad news,
though, is that just keeping up with current trends will not
48%
46%
42%
25%
25%
23%
18%
17%
What makes a good mobile experience?
Convenience
Security
Speed
Customer service
Comparison
User experience
Continuity
Personalization
11%Social interaction
Figure 3: Consumer respondents’ views on the most important elements of a
good mobile experience. All consumer respondents (4,500).
33%
35%
27%
25%
22%
21%
19%
19%
Future expectations for mobile
Mobile apps/sites that can
adapt and react to location
Greater links between mobile
and other technologies
Seamless product offering
across different channels
Fast re-ordering of repeat
purchases
Instant, real-time online
customer service
Ordering “on the move”
with faster delivery
Faster payment methods
Mobile apps/websites that
are more personalized
Figure 4: Consumer respondents’ views on how their mobile experience
expectations will change over the next three years. All consumer
respondents (4,500).
7. White paper // How to keep pace with mobile consumer expectations
6
be enough, as two-thirds (66%) of consumers say that their
mobile expectations will continue to develop over the next
three years. As is the case with current expectations, there is
still no single factor that the majority of consumers expect
to be looking for three years out, so brands need to have the
flexibility and agility to adapt to multiple scenarios.
The most common future requirements reported—by
around a third of consumers—are greater personalization
(35%) and faster payment methods (33%). Almost a fifth will
demand improvements to their cross-channel experience,
with seamless product offerings across mobile and brick-
and-mortar stores (19%) and greater links between mobile
and other technologies that they use (19%). As consumer
confidence with mobile as a channel grows, so does the
sophistication of their expectations.
Where consumers and brands diverge
As consumers define what they want and expect from mobile
experiences, the key question is whether they believe brands
are completely meeting those expectations. Unfortunately, a
majority say No.
Only 37% of consumers believe that their expectations
for convenience, one of the core requirements, are being
completely met. Less than a third believe this to be the
case in terms of speed (32%) and security (28%). In contrast,
many brands appear overconfident in their capabilities in
these areas, with about half or more stating that they are
meeting convenience (57%), speed (49%), and security (57%)
expectations.
Opinions around security are perhaps the most striking
difference here, with almost double the percent of brands
to consumers having a positive viewpoint. This disconnect
may hold many brands back from making improvements
elsewhere—if they cannot fulfill consumers’ key base
requirements, there is little chance they will get the
opportunity to demonstrate their capabilities elsewhere.
Looking beyond at some of the more added-value elements,
a similar picture emerges. Less than a quarter of consumers
say that their expectations on comparison functionality (24%),
user experience (24%), or customer service (21%) are being
completely met, and yet around four in ten brands say that
they are meeting expectations for each of these elements,
respectively (39%, 37%, and 42%). Personalization is identified
Figure 5: Analysis of consumer and brand respondents’ views on which of the mobile experience elements (that they specified as being important) are being completely
met by brands. Consumer (C) and brand (B) base numbers in chart.
The mobile experience disconnect
37%
56%
Convenience (B: 263, C: 2,161)
Consumers
Brands
33%
44%
Social interaction (B: 185, C: 484)
Consumers
Brands
32%
49%
Speed (B: 267, C: 1,902)
Consumers
Brands
30%
47%
Personalization (B: 198, C: 787)
Consumers
Brands
28%
57%
Security (B: 269, C: 2,082)
Consumers
Brands
24%
39%
Comparison (B: 155, C: 1,103)
Consumers
Brands
24%
37%
User experience (B: 234, C: 1,051)
Consumers
Brands
23%
45%
Continuity (B: 186, C: 792)
Consumers
Brands
21%
42%
Customer service (B: 175, C: 1,129)
Consumers
Brands
8. White paper // How to keep pace with mobile consumer expectations
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as a key growth expectation for consumers over the next
three years, and it appears that things are starting from a low
base—only three in ten consumers say that their expectations
in this area are being met. However, almost half (47%) of
brands believe they’re completely meeting expectations for
personalization.
Mobile has brought consumers greater choice, knowledge,
and the power to explore different purchasing options. As a
result, the vast majority (93%) are not afraid to take action
against brands that do not fully meet their requirements.
More than four in ten (45%) would go straight to customer
service to complain, and over three in ten would demand
some form of compensation (32%). The louder voice that
mobile gives to consumers presents a danger to brands—over
a quarter of consumers (27%) say they would warn others
from using the same company and over one in every ten
(13%) would publicly “out” brands over social media. Beyond
the impact to satisfaction, however, lies the real threat to
brands: the loss of customers. Around two-fifths would look
to purchase from an alternative supplier on occasions where a
certain brand does meet their needs, and a third (33%) would
even abandon the brand entirely and never go back.
The risks to brands of not delivering on mobile experience
expectations are clear—they must keep up or lose out.
Despite this threat, many brands lack the capabilities to
measure and test the performance of the mobile experience
that they deliver. Without knowing where they are now, they
have little hope of planning where to go next. Just over half
currently do or plan to measure customer retention rates
(56%) or improvement in service quality (55%) as mobile
KPIs—which means that many have little insight into how
their customers are reacting to their brand on mobile. It’s a
similar case when it comes to testing the mobile experience,
with many brands reliant on after-the-event methods such as
feedback forms (56%) or satisfaction surveys (49%) compared
with just 34% who are using a more real-time, proactive
approach such as A/B or multivariate testing.
Such a lack of visibility on mobile experience performance
means that many brands may struggle to improve things
without help. With consumer expectations only expected to
increase and develop in complexity, brands need to act now
to review their current capabilities and strategies and identify
any weaknesses. Standing still and doing nothing will leave
many companies going into the future blind as a result of not
having the necessary knowledge and capabilities to prepare
themselves.
39%
45%
33%
32%
27%
13%
7%
When mobile consumers are dissatisfied
I would request compensation
I would take no action and
make the purchase anyway
I would contact the brand via social media
channels to express my dissatisfaction
I would inform and warn others
off using the same brand
I would never purchase
from the brand again
I would purchase from an
alternative brand on this occasion
I would make a complaint
Figure 6: “When your expectations are not being completely met by brands, what
action would you take as a result?” only asked to consumer respondents whose
expectations are not being completely met (2,858).
56%
55%
45%
43%
39%
36%
28%
6%
Measuring mobile performance
Customer retention rates
Mobile vs. non-mobile sales
Customer referral rates
Improvement in quality of
service from mobile
Time spent with brand via
mobile vs. non-mobile
Lower rate of non-mobile
and in-person interactions
Mobile vs. non-mobile
service
We do not plan to measure
any mobile KPIs
Figure 7: “Which of these mobile KPIs does your organization currently or plan to
measure?” asked to all brand respondents (450).
9. White paper // How to keep pace with mobile consumer expectations
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The status of brand mobile strategies
Brand mobile readiness
With an apparent overconfidence in their success when it
comes to mobile, do brands have the right tools and building
blocks in place to improve?
Although 76% of brands say they’ve completed a mobile
strategy, only around half (48%) report they are currently
delivering a seamless mobile experience and less than a
quarter (23%) are able to measure its performance based on
KPIs. Of those that do not yet have a strategy, seven in ten
(70%) remain at least six months away from delivering one.
These brands are at risk of being left behind by their more
advanced peers.
Most brands recognize the need for investing in the mobile
experience, which is a significant move in the right direction.
Many who are already planning or delivering a mobile
experience are willing to commit significant proportions
of their digital marketing budget—for two-fifths (42%) it’s
between 10% and 30%, and over a third (35%) dedicate
between 30% and 50%. On average, 30% of digital marketing
budgets are being allocated to the mobile experience.
The reasons behind this financial commitment become clear
when you take into account the impact mobile is having on
brands. For more than half, it has led to a reorganization of
structure (53%) or the creation of new teams or departments
(53%), and close to half (46%) have reduced budgets
elsewhere to allow for further investment. It is apparent that
the focus on the mobile experience is leading to significant
change within many brands.
Limited insight capabilities
Many brands appear to lack certain capabilities that allow
them to interact with consumers over mobile. Around two-
fifths do not have a mobile-optimized (39%) or responsive
(43%) website and close to six in ten (58%) do not have a
mobile app. These restrictions will limit the ability of brands
to meet consumer expectations, the consequences of which
can be severe.
Another area where many brands are being held back is
having access to real-time information and visibility on mobile
consumers. Although the majority report being able to collect
information on consumers, only limited numbers can do so in
real time. Just over six in ten (63%) can track consumer
geo-location in real time, but less than half (49%) know what
consumers most recently purchased—on mobile or desktop.
Brand readiness for mobile
6%9%
14%
25%
11%
17%
18%
No mobile customer
experience at all
In planning
stages
Strategy
complete
Execution
complete
Delivering a
mobile experience
Delivering and
measuring KPIs/
performance
Fine-tuning based on
KPIs/performance
Figure 8: “What stage would you say your organization is at with regard to
delivering a seamless mobile experience to customers?” asked to all brand
respondents (450).
53%
53%
46%
41%
39%
33%
2%
What brands have done to focus on mobile
Recruited new, more
specialized employees
Reduction in employees elsewhere in the
organization to free up space/budget
Redeployed existing workforce
to new functions
Reduction in budgets elsewhere
to allow for investment
Reorganization of organization structure
Had to create new teams/departments
It has not affected my organization
Figure 9: “In what ways has the focus on the mobile customer experience
affected your organization?” only asked to brand respondents whose organization
has mobile experience at figure 12 (423).
10. White paper // How to keep pace with mobile consumer expectations
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Only 37% know which web page consumers last accessed. In
addition to these gaps in information, only around half or less
have real-time visibility into how consumers have interacted
on mobile, such as installing apps (54%), making a purchase
(52%), or accessing the mobile website (45%).
With such limited access to real-time information and insight,
many brands are at a significant disadvantage. But, even
the information they’re collecting may not be delivering
maximum value. The potential synergies of combining mobile
consumer data with other customer data is a distant dream
for many, with less than half of brands combining mobile data
with social analytics (48%) or CRM data (46%).
How can brands satisfy mobile
consumer needs?
Consumer mobile security requirements
One of the key areas already identified is the importance of
security, and the significant gap that exists between consumer
expectations and brand performance. Security arises again
when consumers consider which areas would have the
biggest impact on the mobile experience if improved. Close to
four in ten (39%) believe that improving security would make
the biggest positive difference to them, ahead of convenience
(25%) and speed (22%). Brands must start prioritizing mobile
security.
The main issue is a lack of consumer confidence in how well
brands can store and use their data appropriately. Only
around one in ten (9–11%) consumers describe themselves as
completely confident in this area, and around a third (31–33%)
61%
58%
48%
46%
45%
8%
Mobile customer data vs.
other customer data
Email
Web analytics
Social analytics
Customer relationship
management data
Commerce
It is stored in its own
separate database
Figure 11: “Is the data that your organization collects from mobile applications
combined and stored with any of the below customer data?” asked to all brand
respondents (450).
Figure 10: “To what extent does your organization have visibility on how mobile users have interacted with your brand in real time?” asked to all brand
respondents (450).
Tracking mobile interactions in real time
37%
34%
Opened email on mobile
Yes, we know this and
track it in real time
18%
No, we do not know this
but we would like to
Yes, we know this
but not in real time
41%
37%
Opened push notification on mobile
Yes, we know this and
track it in real time
13%
No, we do not know this
but we would like to
Yes, we know this
but not in real time
45%
38%
Interacted with mobile app
Yes, we know this and
track it in real time
11%
No, we do not know this
but we would like to
Yes, we know this
but not in real time
45%
40%
Accessed mobile website
Yes, we know this and
track it in real time
9%
No, we do not know this
but we would like to
Yes, we know this
but not in real time
52%
31%
Made purchase from mobile
Yes, we know this and
track it in real time
8%
No, we do not know this
but we would like to
Yes, we know this
but not in real time
54%
34%
Installed mobile app
Yes, we know this and
track it in real time
6%
No, we do not know this
but we would like to
Yes, we know this
but not in real time
11. White paper // How to keep pace with mobile consumer expectations
10
of consumers believe there is a real lack of consistency among
brands, leading to their lower confidence. Without consumer
trust and confidence, brands will be restricted in their ability
to make improvements in other areas of mobile, such as
improving the user experience or increasing personalization.
As a result of their low confidence, most (80%) consumers
would like to see additional security features incorporated
into the devices and apps that they use. There are a range of
areas that consumers are willing to consider, often involving
them doing more to help secure themselves. More traditional,
established methods remain popular, such as password
log-in (52%) and security questions (34%), but many are also
willing to adopt more advanced techniques like two-factor
authentication (31%) and biometrics (24%). Brands must look
to provide such capabilities in order to win the trust and
confidence of consumers—many of which involve greater
collaboration between provider and user, further enhancing
the mobile experience.
Despite consumer concerns about data security, many still
remain open to sharing their data in the search for a more
personalized mobile experience. Around a fifth (22%) would
do so if brands requested their permission. This is a positive
sign for brands. Consumers value what mobile can offer and
can see the bigger picture if brands are willing to step up
and improve.
Need for greater mobile data integration
and insight
In addition to working on security, brands also need
to improve their ability to gather real-time insight and
information on their mobile customers. Cross-channel
capabilities are currently lacking for many, driven in part by
limited abilities to combine types of customer data together.
This negatively impacts what mobile consumers see and
experience, with less than half of brands currently
39%
25%
22%
19%
15%
13%
10%
8%
Areas for mobile improvement
Security
Convenience
Speed
Customer service
User experience
Comparison
Continuity
Personalization
5%Social interaction
Figure 12: “If improvements were made to the mobile experience elements where
your expectations are not being completely met, which would have the biggest
positive impact to you as a customer?” only asked to consumer respondents
whose expectations are not being completely met at figure 24 (2,858).
Figure 13: “How confident are you that the different types of data held by companies that you have purchased from are stored securely, and used appropriately?” asked
to all consumer respondents (4,500).
11%
12%
Consumer confidence around data
9%
22%
Online activity (e.g. pages
viewed, links clicked)
31%
It varies too much
company by company
20%
17%Not confident at all
Not particularly
confident
Completely confident
Quite confident 27%
Past purchases
information
33%
It varies too much
company by company
17%
Not confident at all
Not particularly
confident
Completely confident
Quite confident
11%
27%
Financial
personal details
31%
It varies too much
company by company
18%
13%Not confident at all
Not particularly
confident
Completely confident
Quite confident
11%
26%
Non-financial
personal details
33%
It varies too much
company by company
17%
12%Not confident at all
Not particularly
confident
Completely confident
Quite confident
12. White paper // How to keep pace with mobile consumer expectations
11
personalizing the content on non-mobile channels based on
mobile interactions (44%) or showing consistent product
information across mobile and non-mobile channels (44%).
This isn’t helped by the fact that only around half or fewer
brands report having completely integrated mobile data
with other channels such as web (53%), social media (49%),
and e-commerce (46%). Only a third (33%) have completely
integrated mobile with in-store—a significant disconnect in
the eyes of consumers looking for speed, convenience,
and continuity.
Not having valuable customer data combined and generating
additional value leaves many brands at a disadvantage. With
only limited insight into what their consumers are doing
on mobile and how satisfied they are with the experience,
it is extremely difficult for brands to move forward. With
significant amounts of budget allocated to mobile, there is
a risk that investment will not be effectively planned and
implemented in the right areas.
Conclusion
Mobile marches on. With access to knowledge and choice
in the palm of their hand, consumers are regularly turning
to mobile devices to purchase online, and the sophistication
of their usage is developing fast. Most use it to search for
information to validate their decisions before purchasing, and
close to half are already using it as a method of payment. The
level of use is expected to grow as consumers turn away from
their desktops and move to mobile as their primary method of
shopping—a major channel shift that brands cannot ignore.
With this increased use of mobile comes a more defined
picture in consumers’ minds of what they expect from a good
mobile experience. There is a wide range of expectations
but convenience, security, and speed remain top of mind for
many. Brands must get these fundamentals right first before
hoping to improve elsewhere. And expectations will not
stand still for long, as the majority of consumers expect their
demands to change over the next few years.
Brands have work to do to keep up, with some still stuck in
the planning stages of a seamless mobile experience delivery
and still months away from full implementation. Is it already
too late for some?
For many brands, there is also a worrying trend of over-
confidence in how well they think they are meeting consumer
mobile expectations. With significant numbers of consumers
feeling empowered enough to take action against brands that
do not meet their requirements, consumer satisfaction is not
something at which brands can afford to guess. Get things
wrong, and consumers will not hesitate to take their business
elsewhere and encourage others to do the same.
Figure 14: “To what extent is mobile integrated with the other channels through which you engage with customers?” asked to all brand respondents (450).
10%
49%
38%
Not integrated
Completely integrated
Partially integrated
Seamless channel integration?
Web
Social media
Email
E-commerce
In-store commerce
(brick-and-mortar)
53%
36%
8%Not integrated
Completely integrated
Partially integrated
46%
39%
10%Not integrated
Completely integrated
Partially integrated
47%
38%
13%Not integrated
Completely integrated
Partially integrated
33%
39%
16%Not integrated
Completely integrated
Partially integrated
13. White paper // How to keep pace with mobile consumer expectations
12
Despite a high risk of losing business, many brands have no
way of measuring mobile experience performance or tracking
improvements. This is not helped by only limited numbers
being able to collect information and insight in real time and
mobile only being partially integrated with other channels.
Attempting to improve in the face of such challenges will
be beyond many brands in their current form—help will be
required to step up.
For consumers, the main area of improvement for the
mobile experience is security, and this must be a priority
focus area for brands in order to start to develop other areas
of their mobile offering. With future mobile requirements
relying on consumers sharing information to drive greater
personalization and real-time reactions to behavior, security is
a bridge that must be crossed.
Next step
Achieving a great mobile experience requires brands to
focus less on the device and more on the entire customer
experience, treat mobility as a process and not a project,
future-proof the mobile strategy so that it easily incorporates
new technology, and commit to digital experimentation
and testing at every stage. Download “How mobile leaders
connect with customers in context” to learn seven steps for
mastering the mobile experience.
Research scope and methodology
Sitecore commissioned independent technology
market research specialist Vanson Bourne to undertake
the research upon which this report is based.
Breakdown: 4,500 consumers and 450 marketing
decision makers were interviewed in January/February
2016. Consumer respondents were aged 18 years
and above and all owned or used a mobile device
(e.g., smartphone, tablet, e-reader or smart watch).
Marketing decision makers (or “brand respondents”)
were from brands of more than 1,000 employees from
any public or private sector, with a particular focus on
five core sectors: consumer packaged goods, healthcare,
government, manufacturing/ construction, and retail.
As shown to the right, the research was carried out in 11
countries with interviews split accordingly.
Interviews were conducted using a mixture of online
and telephone interviewing using a rigorous multi-
level screening process to ensure that only suitable
candidates were given the opportunity to participate.
Unless otherwise indicated, the results discussed are
based on the total sample.
Country Consumers
Marketing
decision
makers
US Canada 1,000 100
UK 500 50
France 500 50
Germany 500 50
Denmark 350 35
Norway 300 30
Sweden 350 35
Japan 350 35
Australia 350 35
New Zealand 300 30
Total 4,500 450
14. White paper // How to keep pace with mobile consumer expectations
13
About Sitecore and Vanson Bourne
Sitecore is the global leader in experience management
software that enables context marketing. The Sitecore®
Experience Platform™ manages content, supplies contextual
intelligence, and automates communications, at scale. It
empowers marketers to deliver content in context of how
customers have engaged with their brand, across every
channel, in real time. More than 4,600 customers—including
American Express, Carnival Cruise Lines, easyJet, and
L’Oréal—trust Sitecore for context marketing to deliver the
personalized interactions that delight audiences, build loyalty,
and drive revenue. For more information, follow us at
@sitecore or visit sitecore.net.
The research was conducted by Vanson Bourne:
Vanson Bourne is an independent specialist in market
research for the technology sector. Its reputation for robust
and credible research-based analysis is founded upon rigorous
research principles and its ability to seek the opinions
of senior decision makers across technical and business
functions, in all business sectors and all major markets. For
more information, visit www.vansonbourne.com.