March 14, 2013

Consumer Expectations in a Multi-Device Mobile World

James Giese UWEBC Communications Director

In today’s fractured digital experience, consumers need intuitive and integrated applications for a streamlined brand connection. Brain Klais, CEO, PureOxygen, discussed how consumers increasingly are using several different types of digital devices with more interactions in many different settings, during the UWEBC's WMM Peer Group meeting on March 14, 2013.

Klais titled his presentation “Exceeding Expectations: Our Multi-Device Socially-Search-Applified World” to emphasize that these interactions are in the context of different apps, different device operating systems, and different software applications. 

While connected devices and their apps are rapidly gaining popularity, they don't fully enable the mobile, multimedia and social lifestyle that people want.

According to a new consumer survey, conducted by Google, “The New Multi-Screen World: Understanding Cross-Platform Consumer Behavior,” 90% of all consumer media interactions are cross-platform and screen-based: smartphone, television, computer, or tablet. Within these multiple interactions, the consumer experience with brands crosses multiple devices, settings, operating systems, and applications. Consumers expect their interactions with brands to be seamless and significant.

“Instead of today's fractured and frustrating experience, people need intuitive, personalized and integrated apps and services for their laptops, e-books, tablets, smartphones, and other connected devices,” said Klais.

These interactions are driven by context—where consumers are, what they want to accomplish, and the amount of time available. The interactions can be sequential, with users moving between devices or simultaneous, with a user accessing multiple devices at the same time.

Another challenge is that it is not enough to try and standardize the user experience by device alone.

“The user experience is not only multi-device, but also a multiple operating system and multi-application experience,” said Klais. For example, a user may be using a Facebook app on a tablet or smartphone with the Android operating system. It is important for the marketer to be aware of and use to advantage this “three-dimensional” experience. One technique that marketers can do to ensure that users have a standardized experience is to ensure they can readily move between and within device, operating system, and applications via deep linking.

Multi-device, multi-channel and in different settings, reaching consumers is a fragmented process and it is dependent on the marketer to transform this process into a comprehensive and coherent experience. “URL schemes that can’t detect an app can stop the user experience cold,” said Klais.

Because many users encounter brands via applications on mobile devices, it is important to ensure URL schemes have proper app support. For example, Facebook can link to profiles, but its sharing support is limited. Twitter can link to profiles and allows pre-population of messages. LinkedIn has very limited URL scheme support. Failed interactions between apps and web sites can frustrate the user.

Because the user experience is not just mobile but multi-device, multi-operating system, and multi-application, Klais emphasized the need for marketers to leverage the mobile experience and realize we operate in a multi-app and social-search-amplified world.

Member companies can access Mediasite recording and other meeting materials>>