Captivating Connections.

apps vs. mobile web.

When it comes to using apps vs. the mobile web, which one do you rely on and access via your mobile devices?

Personally, I tend to rely on the tried and true apps I have found to love and rely on, like Maps and HopStop. However, when something is outside my knowledge base, I have no issue tapping open the mobile web and doing a quick search to get what I need.

While both apps and the mobile web are increasing in popularity, according to Niesel, apps are beating out the mobile web or time spent. In fact, "the amount of time spent with apps versus the mobile Web increased to 81% from 73% a year ago."

What else did they find?

- The average time spent on apps per day has changed in the last year, up two minutes to 39 minutes.

- People are dividing their attention across a wider selection of apps; the proportion of time spent among the 50 most popular apps declined from 74% to 58% in the last year.

- However, the top 5 apps (Facebook, YouTube, Android Market [now Google Play], Google Search and Gmail) remain unchanged from a year ago. Perhaps related to the people spreading time over a more diverse group of apps is the fact that the average number of apps per smartphone has risen, from 32 to 41.

smart(er) shoppers leading to smart(er) shopping.

The NY Times has a great article looking at how consumer smarts and tactics are increasingly impacting the shopping experience, including pricing. 

As the article explains, "pricing has always been a tug of war between retailer and shopper, with the retailer having more muscle." However, the Internet and the slew of apps that have hit our smartphones and browsers (incuding daily deals, coupons, price comparisons, etc.), have given consumers new weapons in the war on prices, and are forcing retailers to be more flexible in their pricing.

In this day and age, there's really no such thing as a set price anymore. 

Think about the last time you bought a pair of pants: Did it cross your mind to do one of the following?

1. Look up (online, on an app, in a circular) if they were on sale somewhere?

2. See if someone else offered it cheaper than the retailer you were looking at to make your purchase?

3. Search online to see if you could get it cheaper? The retailer's website? Ebay?

Apps and the Internet are making all of this easier for you, and more difficult for retailers. The new shopper mentaliy really has become "there's never a reason to pay full price." We're way too savvy for that.

As consumers become experts, brands are trying plenty of tactics. For example, "J.C. Penny has introduced a streamlined system: daily prices, lower monthlong specials and clearance prices. Mango, the fashion retailer, has cut all prices by one-fifth. Stein Mart, the specialty chain, has reduced its coupons. Supervalu, the grocery chain, has sworn off heavy promotions and lowered some prices. Even Walmart has pledged to match competitors’ prices if it sets its own too high."

The real result is an interesting game of cat and mouse, with each side trying to outfox the other. However, at what point do these tactics from retailers just consumer the customer to take a pass on their offerings? Aren't these consumers tools supposed to empower by providing simplicity, not forcing the retailer to increasingly 'complixify' their strategy?

What do you think of these pricing strategies? Do they impact your shopping habits?

where are all the mobile diners?

According to a joint study done by Yahoo and Nielsen, "finding nearby restaurants and dining options is one of the ways that people use their mobile phones."

That's not exactly a surprise. However, check out the breakdown of who's searching for what...

"About 34 million Americans get dining and restaurant information from a mobile device. That audience skews young, with more than half falling between the ages of 13 and 34. They tend to have high incomes -- $87,000 per year -- while more than half are married and 41% have one or more children. A majority (58%) identified themselves as suburban.

To find dining information, 82% said they used search, with 68% going through their mobile browser and 17% through an app. About a third of respondents (34%) remembered seeing a dining ad on their mobile device, and most of those (77%) "sometimes" or "always" looked at it.

Naturally, most (67%) said they were looking for options in their area, and 77% said they preferred ads to be 'relevant to my current location.' But most weren't looking for three-star restaurants. Nearly half (49%) were interested in casual sit-down dining (at popular chains such as Chili's, Applebee's and Olive Garden), while 30% wanted fast food such as McDonald's or Subway.

Only 23% expressed interest in getting information on fine dining (places like Morton's Steakhouse and McCormick & Schmick)."

want to know what's ruling local search?

Why, it's mobile and social, of course!

"About 45% of consumers don't have a specific business in mind when conducting a local search online. In fact, more local business searchers begin with general keyword terms in search queries. They have products and services in mind, but they are not sure where to make the purchase, according to a study released Monday from 15miles, the local, mobile and social marketing arm of TMP Directional Marketing.

On the other hand, 56% of social and 60% of mobile users are more likely to search with specific businesses in mind because they are already outside the home looking for a nearby business to fill a need. The study points to a lack of sophisticated search functions in social networks for the differences.

This year's 15miles Fourth Annual comScore Local Search Usage Study identifies the power of local, mobile and social search among consumers. The study confirms that 70% of survey respondents view search engines, online Yellow Pages or social networks as their primary sources of local business information.

Search engine queries continued to increase at a strong rate with 9% year-over-year growth. Non-search engine queries such as Facebook and craigslist rose 22%, off a smaller base, to capture more than one-third of total query volume. This also impacts local. Of the 9% of local business searchers who use social networks, 93% said they use Facebook to find information on local business.

Most research today focuses on where searches happen, but this study looks at where sales occur. Google, Bing, Facebook and Twitter are just a sample of the major players to enhance local search features in the past year. It also examines how to make sense of consumers' changing behaviors across various media types, and what impact search trends have on the bottom line."

what's the last thing you researched online?

More importantly, when was the last time you researched something online? Chances are, it was pretty recently.

"Using the Internet to research product purchases has become a common practice for many people, according to a new study from the Pew Research Center's Internet and American Life Project. The nonprofit organization found that 58% of Americans perform online research of products and services they are considering buying, up from 49% in 2004.

Furthermore, the number of people who research purchases on any given day has spiked from 15% of adults in September 2007 to 21% three years later. The study also found that more people are also doing more than just gathering information about products online -- they are increasingly providing it as well.

Nearly a quarter (24%) of the 3,001 adults surveyed between August 9 and Sept. 13 said they had posted comments or reviews about items or services they bought. 'Many Americans begin their purchasing experience by doing online research to compare prices, quality, and the reviews of other shoppers,' said Jim Jansen, senior fellow at the Pew Research Center.

Among Internet users, 78% said that they at least occasionally research products and 32% have posted comments about products online."

bing vs. google: the race is on!

There's a "cold war" going on between Bing and Google:

"While no one argues that Google’s dominance is in immediate jeopardy, Google is watching Microsoft closely, mimicking some of Bing’s innovations — like its travel search engine, its ability to tie more tools to social networking sites and its image search — or buying start-ups to help it do so in the future.

Google has even taken on some of Bing’s distinctive look, like giving people the option of a Bing-like colorful background, and the placement of navigation tools on the left-hand side of the page.

The result is a renaissance in search, resulting in more sophisticated tools for consumers who want richer answers to complex questions than the standard litany of blue links.

The competition is a remarkable and surprising twist: Microsoft, knocked around for so long as a bumbling laggard, has given the innovative upstart Google a kick in the pants. As the search engines introduce feature after competing feature, some analysts say they have set off an arms race, with the companies poised to spend whatever it takes to win the second phase of Web search.

'There is a cold war going on,' said Sandeep Aggarwal, senior Internet and software analyst at Caris & Company, who watches both companies. 'Clearly, you can see how Bing’s competition is forcing Google to try and catch up in some places.'”

how display ads boost search.

"Consumers who 'dwell', or linger on ads, are more likely to convert from lookers into buyers. They not only increase the time spent with the creative piece, but conduct more brand-related searches on engines and continually return to the company's Web site, according to a recent study.

Research from Eyeblaster, Microsoft Advertising and comScore provide evidence for the effectiveness of dwelling on an ad as an engagement metric. Additional analysis by Eyeblaster suggests an impact beyond branding. Ads with a high dwell rate are more likely to have a higher conversion rate too, compared with ads with a low dwell rate. Campaigns with ads that produce a low dwell rate increased site traffic by 10%, compared with those with a high dwell rate at 17%."

10 awesome simple google search tricks!

http://www.nytimes.com/external/gigaom/2010/04/02/02gigaom-10-simple-google-search-tricks-58674.html?src=me&ref=general

what's the dilly with product reccomendations?

"More than one-half of Internet users were not happy with the product recommendations they received at e-commerce sites in 2009, according to the ChoiceStream '2009 Personalization Survey.'

That proportion was up 14 percentage points over 2008. ChoiceStream attributed the change to heightened consumer expectations as well as a lower level of expertise among e-tailers, many of which are new to automated recommendations.

'Shoppers notice recommendations more than they have in the past and, in fact, have come to expect them,' said Lori Trahan, vice president of marketing at ChoiceStream. 'For this reason, quality and relevance are under a microscope.

'There are many vendors, big and small, rushing into this space to meet demand—but many don’t have the in-market experience or proven algorithms of an Amazon, Netflix, or ChoiceStream,' Ms. Trahan said.

Recommendations were considered best in the entertainment category, with about one-fifth of respondents reporting that sites such as iTunes and Netflix did an excellent job. Big-box stores such as Amazon.com and Costco ranked second, while online shoppers were least satisfied with the recommendations served on shoe, toy and office supply sites."

google tops the mobile search site charts.

"Google Search was the top mobile property in December, with nearly 28 million unique visitors, followed by Yahoo Mail, at 23.2 million, and Facebook, with 18.8 million. Rounding out the top five were Gmail, with monthly traffic of 17.6 million, and Weather Channel, at 13.8 million, according to The Nielsen Company.

The overall U.S. mobile Internet audience was 62 million. The top mobile brands closely tracked those topping overall Internet use, including Google, Yahoo, MSN, Facebook and AOL.

Building on the base of Google Search, the Internet giant has been pushing aggressively into the mobile space. Recent initiatives include launching click-to-call mobile ads, providing search suggestions based on location and launching other location based-services like Near Me Now, for finding local restaurants and other businesses."