Commentary
What Consumers Expect from their Apps
- by Chuck Martin , Staff Writer, November 14, 2013
In-app expectation by consumers may be higher than some think,
as mobile shoppers look for more app functions before, during and after the purchase.
In a study of mobile app usage in the U.S. and Europe, Utrecht University in the Netherlands looked at mobile customer engagement to see just what customers want from their apps.
The study looked at what personal information app users would be willing to share through a mobile app and found may would share quite a lot. What they would share:
- 85% -- Email
- 64% -- Name
- 52% -- Gender
- 50% -- Nickname
- 43% -- Location
- 36% -- Date of birth
- 31% -- Phone number
- 12% -- Address
As in the phases of the Mobile Shopping Life Cycle, the research focused on different stages of the purchase process.
In the intent phase, mobile app users are interested in creating wish lists (58%), though a relatively small number (18%) want to share that list with others. And even though using the app, most consumers (54%) want a link to the company website included in the app.
In the consideration phase, this study found that mobile shoppers are attracted to a deal, which is consistent with other research.
A majority (51%) wants the app to recognize location inside a store and send relevant discounts and even more (80%) want to have apps in their mobile device that would be useful to them when they want to make a choice between the brand’s products.
During the purchase phase, many shoppers are seeking interactivity, even if not looking to apps to make the actual purchase, according to the university research, which was sponsored by GX Software. Here is what they want, based on the study results:
- 83% -- Text alerts when ordered product is ready for pickup
- 76% -- Check store proximity through mobile app
- 76% -- App to remember personal information
- 68% -- App gives option to write reviews
- 36% -- Use voice-based control to verify identify and make a purchase
- 33% -- Use voice control to fill in personal data during purchase process
- 28% -- Use mobile app to buy product
After the purchase, what the study refers to as the support phase, most consumers (79%) want customer support service through the app and a large number (67%) want the app to provide maintenance tips on products purchased.
Expectations of mobile shoppers continue to rise.
Chuck Martin is Editor of the AI & IoT Daily at MediaPost and writes the daily Connected Thinking column. He is a NY Times Business bestselling author and his latest book is “Digital Transformation 3.0” (The New Business-to-Consumer Connections of The Internet of Things.) He is CEO of Net Future Institute and a frequent keynote speaker internationally. Follow him on Twitter @chuckmartin and contact him at Chuck@MediaPost.com.
DO NOT CLICK: the above link doesn't work and looks suspicious. And about the article: I somehow managed to do my daily food shopping this morning without needing or wanting any of the features from the study. The most important thing for me was Google's regular traffic report that I use to plan my route - very strange that journey planning is not in the top 7 features.
We are seeing that this combination of shopping apps and interactivity is actually increasing shopper engagement and conversions – for example, in-app features that tell shoppers nearby locations that have the products they want in stock, or in-app capabilities for shoppers to reserve/buy products for in-store pick up