MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA: The extent to which consumers now expect brands to meet their immediate needs has been highlighted in new analysis of search trends on Google.
Among the findings, the Google research revealed that mobile searches related to “same-day shipping” have grown over 120% since 2015 as consumers are no longer willing to wait even a few days for their purchase to arrive.
Searches for same-day shipping also peak in the early morning, suggesting that people are less willing to run an errand on the way to work and instead are using their devices first thing to locate a business that can help them immediately.
In addition, the number of searches for “open now” businesses – ranging from pharmacies to pizza parlours – has tripled over the past two years at the same time that searches for “store hours” have decreased.
“People are searching at the exact moment they need something and are looking for places that can meet their immediate need,” said Lisa Gevelber, Google’s VP of Marketing for the Americas, as she outlined the findings on the company’s consumer insights website.
“In other words, when making these on-the-spot decisions, they are more loyal to their need than to any particular place,” she added.
Gevelber also noted that consumers appear to have become more impulsive because their mobile devices allow them to make plans at the last minute.
She said that travel-related searches for “tonight” and “today” have grown more than 150% on mobile over the past two years, while people also regularly search for “flights today” or “hotels tonight”.
And in another finding of relevance for marketers, the Google analysis found that 53% of people will leave a mobile site if it takes more than three seconds to load. Indeed, conversions fall by 12% for every one second delay in site load time.
“Ultimately, that means marketers must commit to the creation of incredible mobile experiences,” Gevelber said. “Fast and frictionless is now table stakes, and the basics – like load time – can make or break you.”
Among the findings, the Google research revealed that mobile searches related to “same-day shipping” have grown over 120% since 2015 as consumers are no longer willing to wait even a few days for their purchase to arrive.
Searches for same-day shipping also peak in the early morning, suggesting that people are less willing to run an errand on the way to work and instead are using their devices first thing to locate a business that can help them immediately.
In addition, the number of searches for “open now” businesses – ranging from pharmacies to pizza parlours – has tripled over the past two years at the same time that searches for “store hours” have decreased.
“People are searching at the exact moment they need something and are looking for places that can meet their immediate need,” said Lisa Gevelber, Google’s VP of Marketing for the Americas, as she outlined the findings on the company’s consumer insights website.
“In other words, when making these on-the-spot decisions, they are more loyal to their need than to any particular place,” she added.
Gevelber also noted that consumers appear to have become more impulsive because their mobile devices allow them to make plans at the last minute.
She said that travel-related searches for “tonight” and “today” have grown more than 150% on mobile over the past two years, while people also regularly search for “flights today” or “hotels tonight”.
And in another finding of relevance for marketers, the Google analysis found that 53% of people will leave a mobile site if it takes more than three seconds to load. Indeed, conversions fall by 12% for every one second delay in site load time.
“Ultimately, that means marketers must commit to the creation of incredible mobile experiences,” Gevelber said. “Fast and frictionless is now table stakes, and the basics – like load time – can make or break you.”
Data sourced from Google; additional content by WARC staff
