Google Think Mobile Athens: Mobile shopping searches skyrocketed in 2015, overtaking desktop searches worldwide for the first time. In 2016, the trend intensified both globally and in Greece, where 58% of the total population now uses a smartphone.
Google Think Mobile Athens: What are the implications for marketers and product companies?
To answer these questions and stimulate further discussion, Google organized the first Think Mobile event in Athens, aiming to highlight the potential of mobile phones and the opportunities they create for marketers.
Several speakers, after the introduction of Grigoris Zarifopoulos, Country Manager for Greece, Cyprus and Malta, spoke about issues related to the future of technology and the recent innovations that Google has presented in the world of mobile phones. One such application is Google Allo, a new smart way of exchanging messages, for Android and iOS, which combines messages with the Google Assistant – with which the user can chat – to enrich their experience with additional features (such as emojis, ticket reservations, product recommendations, etc.)
At the event, Google showcased new capabilities provided through programmatic advertising, revealed the power of video sharing in the mobile age thanks to YouTube, and presented the latest data highlighting the role of mobile phones in the product purchasing process.
Google studied the journey a consumer takes to make a purchase via their mobile device: from the moment they perceive a need, checking which brands and products meet their needs, identifying the most important selection criteria, the best offers, supplier and method of purchase, to the moment they reach their final choice. For example, purchases in the Clothing & Footwear category are often made impulsively, with 30% of respondents confirming that they made a decision in the moment. Shoppers in this category rely on their mobile phones, with 26% of respondents having searched mainly from them and 60% watching videos on their mobile phones about the products they buy. Convenience was cited as the biggest benefit of mobile searches, with 47% stating that this was precisely why they searched via their smartphone. Additionally, when consumers visited physical stores, 26% said they did so as a result of searches on their mobile device.
On the other hand, those interested in buying laptops are even more likely to use a mobile device to do research. 80% of respondents said they were undecided. This explains why research for these products via mobile phones is much higher compared to other product categories. 4% of purchases were completed via mobile phones in this category, while 51% of searches were made via smartphones while users were visiting stores.
Home & Decor shoppers consider the first phase of trend research important, with 92% spending significant time researching in this phase, with 40% doing their research via smartphone. 30% of product searches for this category were done via smartphone, with 40% of consumers who searched on their smartphone continuing to do so while shopping in a physical store.
In the Skincare sector, 35% of respondents used their smartphone to search for a product. The mobile shopping rate for this category is 2% in Greece. As with the other categories, a significant percentage of research was done via mobile phones, with 20% of these being done via smartphone. Similarly, shoppers in physical stores discovered products to a significant extent via their mobile phones, while 30% of respondents used their smartphone to do their research while in stores.
Grigoris Zarifopoulos, Country Manager for Greece, Cyprus and Malta, stated:
“We see that mobile devices are providing consumers with easier and more consistent access to the product marketplace, providing them with more opportunities to research and purchase. In fact, for many consumers, smartphones are the gateway to purchase. This is even more pronounced during the holidays. Businesses that help consumers discover the products they need, find the specific items they want, and ultimately purchase seamlessly on their device of choice will be able to emerge as winners in this mobile shopping journey.”.
