Recent trends in mobile search and conversions
Mobile search is exploding. People use their smartphones to search for everything including for online shopping, making travel plans, even to check their finances. The grueling part is measuring how many people move from platform to platform and take action as a result of mobile searching.
Mobile platforms are a stimulating new types of sales that marketers have to track for their user's movement, including click-to-call, in-store promotions and in-app purchasing.
Mobile Transaction Statistics
Nearly 70% of all mobile searches have used the click-to-call and connect with a business from a search on a mobile platform.
Recently Google posted an article to the AdWords blog depicting a new product called, "Estimated Total Conversions (ETC).” It is a tool which is a cross device that tracks store visits and calls. Furthermore, there are three transactions that Google explores in this introduction. First they’re launching is the cross-device conversion. A transaction which starts on a mobile device and ends with an in-store store is a perfect example of what this tool can provide. Increase in conversions measured when using ETC: 9% up in travel, 12% up in entertainment and 7% up in retail sales.
In the AdWords front-end there are two new columns: “Est. cross-device conv.” and “Est. total conv.” iCrossing saw a 97% increase in mobile-initiated conversions measured when they were a beta client for this new web instrument.
In the coming months, Google will deliver the next beta and they’re working to maintain the privacy of all users as well as measure these/their transactions and behaviors. This tool is coming out very soon, we are hoping it will be available by early 2014 - if not, the very latest according to Google will be in the spring of 2014.
Transactions Across Devices.
The massive shift happening across search and social URLs is driving opportunity for sellers. If you look at mobile phone traffic vs. desktop traffic, there’s ten times the difference in the rate of growth. Software and technology, followed by financial facilities, followed by real estate agencies are all at the top industries being affected by this growth.
