By now you know Google is ranking mobility as a factor in its search algorithm. It looks like Bing will be following suit pretty soon, according to a report from Search Engine Land.
This doesn’t mean desktops are becoming obsolete. They remain the weapon of choice in American offices and remain in almost 85% of American homes, according to the Pew Research Center. (Interestingly, a lower percentage of households—73%—have an Internet connection.)
But there’s no question: Americans are double-dipping on the Internet.
American Consumers Use the Internet on Several Devices
It turns out consumers like the flexibility of using different devices to get on the Internet to search, Skype, stream, and so on.
Pew’s study finds few people rely exclusively on their smartphones to reach the Internet, perhaps five percent of all households. However, one-third report using smartphones more often than a desktop or laptop at home.
While it seems there is a definite shift in our regarding desktops/laptops as devices to use only for work or school purposes, they still play a role in consumers’ research habits. Conversant, a firm specializing in “cross-device matching technology,” looked at devices consumers use when they’re shopping online:
- 25% start a search on a PC or laptop, a number which has been shrinking in recent years.
- Interestingly, almost 20% will continue their search on a smartphone and 5% on a tablet. Is this due to an outdated PC unable to display everything a website has to offer?
- 65% start the search on a smartphone. More than half (61%) percent will continue on a PC or laptop, and just 4% will move on to a tablet.
- 11% will start on a tablet and 10% will continue on a PC or laptop.
Accessibility is a key factor. You can carry a tablet around the house and bring your smartphone just about anywhere. Mobility allows searches to be conducted anywhere. It seems big screens are preferred for longer and more in-depth research sessions.
Double- (or sometimes triple-) dipping is here to stay. And with it comes cross-device marketing.
Cross-Device Marketing Techniques
So do we need different marketing strategies to reach people on different devices?
Yes, we do and yes, it’s worth the effort. Conversant found consumer engagement and conversion rise noticeably with cross-device marketing. They engage 3.4 times more often and convert 5.4 times more often. Clearly, consumers are very responsive when they receive targeted messages on different devices.
To do this, content marketers will need to start thinking about collecting device-specific analytics data. One place to start is to consider what consumers do on different devices.
Conversant cites a 2013 ecommerce study by Shopatron Retailer which provides insight into what smartphone owners research most on their devices:
- Price comparisons (58%)
- Product information (38%)
- Product reviews (22%)
- Finding other product options (14%)
- Scanning QR codes (7%)
As eMarketer notes, this means finding technology to track consumer movements across different devices working with different operating systems and browsers. I know a writer who works on an old MacBook, owns a Windows phone, and an Android tablet. Try figuring out her product research patterns!
The good news for content writers is Google doesn’t include tablets in its mobile count. For now, most of us will rely on Google Analytics’ separate mobile and desktop summaries.
Do you have anything to add to this story? If so, leave it in the Comments below.
