This has been an exciting year for digital marketing. Siri and Google alone are handling 452 billion voice searches per year and changes in consumer behavior are altering the nature of search.
Mobile devices are leading the way and making search more personalized. Consumers are more engaged than ever thanks to seamless cross-device experiences and access to apps.
The future of search is here; be it “Intelligent Assistants” (Siri, Alexa, OK Google or Cortana) guiding searchers with answers, the exponential growth of digital products or making the most of micro moments. Businesses have no choice but to keep up with the rapid pace of change. Is your business prepared to capitalize on the digital trends that will be most impactful in 2018?
Trend #1: Mobile is consumers “go to” device.
Mobile has become the primary device that consumers use to solve daily challenges: maps, calendars, email, planners, communication, payment gateways, apps, voice search. You name it and a mobile device is likely involved. In fact, 60% of searches now happen on mobile devices. In hospitality, 2017 saw 39% more “near me” searches than 2016 according to Google.
In addition, comScore believes that by 2020 more than 50% of searches will be voice powered (that’s only 3 years away). Most of these searches will be done on mobile devices but we shouldn’t forget that a whole host of “headless” devices like watches and personal assistants will also contribute to the growth of voice search.
Users are leveraging mobile devices to solve their pain points. According to Google, 4 out of 5 consumers use search engines to find products, services, or experiences. These interactions are called Micro Moments. Google found that 84% consumers use search engines on their desktop or tablet and 88% use their smartphone to initiate an intent-driven micro moment.
Micro Moments can be divided into 4 major categories:
