In The Middle East and Dig Into ‘Moments that Matter’
Google launched the Middle East edition of its online marketing data platform ‘Think with Google’ (thinkwithgoogle. com/mena). The free site offers analysis and insights for the marketing industry, in addition to tools, such as Google Trends, which uses real-time information to gauge consumer search behaviour. Users will find the data and trends Google is tracking, along with forwardthinking perspectives across industries like automotive, retail, fashion, healthcare, etc. as well as consumer perceptions, case-studies and behind the scenes insights from campaigns. ‘Think with Google Middle East’ was introduced in tandem with a new research focused on UAE consumer decision-making called ‘Moments that Matter’, which looks at how online consumers in the UAE are using their smartphones and what that means for marketers.
The ‘Moments that Matter’ research demonstrates how people experience online moments that matter to them. The results focus on specific moments that carry deep insights into context: where someone is, and intent; what someone wants or needs at that moment. The research shows how this combination of context and intentdriven insight provides more opportunities for brands to be relevant and connect with consumers in more meaningful ways.
“Consumers turn to their phones with intent and expect brands to deliver immediate answers. In order to be efficient, advertisers need to focus on consumer’s intent or what they want or need at a certain moment,” said Bilal Kabbani, Marketing Lead, Google MENA. “These intent driven moments are where consumers are looking for inspiration or information and are discovering new things. We call these ‘I want-to-watch moments, I want-to-do moments, I need-to-find moments and I need-to-buy-moments.”
Findings from the ‘moments that matter’ research reveal that in the past three years alone, multi-screen media consumption has increased by 500%, with 90% of web-users moving between devices to complete a task.
The research also suggested the Internet is the first port of call when consumers need to find information. However, while most users have an idea of what they want to find online, just 18% of consumers researching on a smartphone have actually pinned down the exact brand or product they were looking for when they began searching. This provides a huge opportunity for advertisers to aid brand discovery and shape preferences early in the purchase journey with search, online video and display ads across the web.
This is especially important considering the fact that 87% of smartphone users have used their device while shopping for specific products and 92% of online consumers are prompted by both online and offline content or ads to look for more information immediately, on a connected device.
Demographic targeting is just the tip of the iceberg. Today, brands can go much deeper by focusing on real and recent online user behaviour, rather than speaking to audiences based only on what might be known about their age, gender and claimed interests. This research showed that greater relevance is key in engaging consumers. In the UAE, 68% of online consumers are influenced by the relevance of a company’s message.
For those who shop on smartphones, 75% have thought about buying into a brand they’ve not previously considered based on relevant information available at the time of browsing. 69% have actually bought from previously unconsidered brands. Web-based information plays a heavy role in traditional retail, too, with 72% of shoppers admitting to using their smartphones in-store to find additional information on a product or service.
By putting these intent-driven moments at the center of their strategy, brands can ensure they are present for all the moments that matter most for their business. Companies that make steps toward becoming momentsready reap tangible benefits in the form of more profitable ROI in both mobile investment and overall marketing investment.