IDFA, Apple’s Mobile Identifier

Mobile apps do not rely on cookies to collect user information; instead, they rely on mobile identifiers that are unique to each mobile device. AdID is Android’s identifier and IDFA is Apple’s. Mobile identifiers are actually safer than browser cookies, as they offer more control over how and when data is used or shared. Data is stored within the app itself, to identify app-related data to a specific user. Third-party cookie data, on the other hand, is stored within the browser and tracks the user across different websites. 

Under the IDFA privacy updates, new apps or versions need to be submitted to Apple for review. During this review, Apple asks whether the app will use a mobile identifier and how the data will be used to determine if it adheres to privacy regulations. Apple is prioritizing user privacy and raising the standards for app developers and owners by making them compliant with their App Tracking Transparency (ATT) update.

The ATT update is changing how apps disclose their data usage. To Apple, “Tracking refers to the act of linking user or device data collected from your app with user or device data collected from other companies’ apps, websites, or offline properties for targeted advertising or advertising measurement purposes. Tracking also refers to sharing user or device data with data brokers.”

The latest privacy update means that users now have an option to ask an app not to track them across websites. The opt-in nature (as opposed to an opt-out approach) will always prioritize user privacy over advertiser benefits — an approach that won’t be going away any time soon.

The Impact of Apple’s App Tracking Transparency Update

Since the April release of Apple’s App Tracking Transparency privacy update, users have reached a new height in setting a privacy benchmark: 96% of users are opting out of ad tracking.

In addition to asking an app not to track them, an iOS user can see what data is being collected and how it is being used within each app’s product page. Apple is giving users more choices and control over their data. As users learn more about how their data is collected and shared, online shopping behavior may change as users adjust their online habits to protect their privacy.

eMarketer initially forecasted that 50-95% of users will opt to limit tracking, with most estimates nearing the 85-95% range. Brands should use the description prompt, often seen as your data will be used to deliver personalized ads to you, carefully to tell users exactly why they are collecting information. Prior to Apple’s ATT release, eMarketer conducted a survey to better understand under what circumstances users would opt-in for tracking:

Whether features like free content or highly personalized ads come into play to entice users to opt-in for tracking remains to be determined. As of now, users are prioritizing their privacy above all else.

Even if some users decide to opt back in, the mobile advertising landscape is dramatically changing. Some other impacts ATT will have on mobile advertising include:

• Probabilistic measurement instead of individual-level attribution will go up. Data and conversion modeling will use machine learning, similar to what is used in the absence of third-party cookies.
• Options like frequency capping and other campaign optimizations will be limited due to a lack of measurable data.
• Audience targeting strategies will be impacted.
• API-based solutions for ad measurement will go up significantly.

With API-based solutions, developers can better control what data will be shared and when. Unlike tracking pixels, which share event data all at once after the user’s activity has ended, API-based solutions limit what data is being shared so it is useful.

Next Steps Into the Privacy-First World

During Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, they announced some of the following key privacy updates:

• Safari’s Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP) is now shielding a device’s IP address as the new default setting, impacting a marketer’s ability to understand geographic information.
• The new iOS 15 update will come with an App Privacy Report that details how often apps have accessed a user’s data like location, photos, camera, and microphone in the last seven days, as well as what apps have contacted other web domains and how. 
• Apple Mail will have a new Mail Privacy Protection feature that blocks email tracking pixels. This might prevent marketers from knowing if their emails were opened and the time when the email was opened.
• Private Relay is an upcoming extension of Apple’s virtual private network and a feature of iCloud+ subscriptions that encrypt traffic relays for an extra layer of privacy.

Google recently announced that it will be extending the timeline of when third-party cookies will be phased out, to give developers more time to create alternative solutions. Chrome is delaying third-party cookie deprecation from 2022 to mid-2023, culminating in a complete depreciation in late 2023.

While that delay offers more flexibility to test and create new solutions, it is only a matter of time before third-party cookies are erased and it is best to prepare early. As always, NetElixir is here to help you survive — and thrive — in the privacy-first era. Contact a NetElixir expert today to discuss how to future-proof your business and empower your e-commerce growth.

Read More

• Preparing for the Cookieless World with Google Analytics 4
• Your Guide to Succeeding in the Cookieless World
• Repeat Customer Prediction

The post Navigating Apple’s iOS Privacy Updates appeared first on NetElixir.

But just how many people are using virtual assistants powered by voice search? How are they using them specifically, and what are their attitudes toward the technology? Do retailers need to be concerned?

We conducted a Google Consumer Survey to find out, and we’ll pull back the curtain on our full results in our webinar, Search Without Screens & The Rise of Voice Assistants on Thursday April 19 at 2:00 p.m. EST. In this webinar, you’ll learn:

• How consumers are using voice search assistants in 2018
• What voice paid media could mean for retailers and consumers
• How to get found and be heard by voice searchers

Register now to reserve your spot. Can’t make it? No problem! Our webinars are available on-demand within 24 hours or less via https://stage.netelixir.com//university/all-webinars/.  

In the meantime, we’ll share some of our findings right here as a sneak preview.

The Skinny On Our Survey

Our study polled over 1,000 respondents from February 12-15, 2018. We targeted users of voice-activated assistants among the general U.S. population on the Google Consumer Surveys publisher network.

Early, Enthusiastic Adopters

We found that 20.5% of respondents currently use a voice-activated virtual assistant like Siri, Alexa (Amazon Echo), Google Home, or Cortana. However, when you include those who previously used a voice assistant but have since stopped, that number rises to 38%.

These results suggest that voice assistants still have a way to go before becoming widespread technology. We can expect the percentage of users to continue to grow as more digital assistants find their way into U.S. homes. After all, smartphones were considered a niche device about a decade ago. Now they’re just about universal.

But those who use voice search tend to use it often. 46.3% of respondents said they use voice search one or more times a day. Voice search users appear likely to make it part of their regular routines.

A Growing Array of Devices

Mobile phones were by far the most common device on which respondents use voice assistants, at 63.6%. Many popular smartphone models now feature integration with a digital assistant: Siri on the iPhone, Google Assistant on Android devices, and Cortana on Windows Phone, to name a few. A mobile phone is a natural gateway to voice search for most consumers.

Current manufacturing trends could narrow the gap between mobile phones and other product categories over time. Digital assistants are being integrated into a variety of everyday consumer products. You may have already interacted with Cortana while playing Xbox or talked to Alexa in your Toyota. Consumers will be more inclined to try voice search when it’s built into items they already use regularly.

Emerging Habits & Preferences

Convenience seems to be the strongest factor pulling users toward voice search. As the most popular response, 50.4% of respondents said they use voice search because it’s hands-free. A sizable portion (42.8%) also enjoys that it’s faster than typing.

Most respondents use voice commands to play music or other media (55.6%), with significant percentages also using them to receive updates on news and weather (31.3%), or to set timers and reminders (33.9%). It’s not hard to imagine people setting their digital assistants up as entertainment or informational hubs, ready to dispense content or perform functions directly applicable to their daily lives.

Not Sold On Shopping

Users haven’t been so quick to let their virtual assistants help them with shopping. However. Just 8.1% said they used voice search to purchase an item, and a resounding 71.5% hadn’t even used it to find information related to a purchase.

The most common items purchased through voice search or virtual assistants were entertainment products like music or movies (43.0%), as well as everyday household items (26.2%). What makes these the favored product types of voice searchers? Why are consumers so hesitant to make purchases via voice assistants in the first place? We have some ideas we’ll share during the webinar, so be sure to tune in.

What Retailers Should Know

Voice search is still in the early phases of monetization, as only a select few brands have access to different voice-to-commerce capabilities. However, this doesn’t mean businesses should ignore voice search or not consider how it can benefit their brands. There are strategies you can implement to make your website or business stand out to voice search users.

You’ll want to imagine yourself in the shoes of consumers. Consider the questions they might ask a virtual assistant that could lead them to your business. Free online tools like Answer the Public are very useful for identifying common question phrases related to your field or industry.

It’s also a good idea to optimize your pages to appear in featured snippets on Google. With voice search, you don’t have the luxury of the entire first page to draw eyeballs to your site. There’s only one result that matters, the one in the coveted “position zero.” Investigate opportunities where your site can claim a featured snippet, and focus your content on providing the best, most comprehensive responses to those queries.

We’ll discuss these and other tips in more detail during the webinar.

Register Now for Even More!

We’ve provided plenty of data and insights to whet your appetite, but if you want to see our complete survey results and recommendations, sign up for our webinar next week. A voice-first world is no longer a fantasy – it’s an inevitability. Preparing your brand now will help you gain a valuable edge over your competitors.

Note: Last edited April 12, 2018.

The post How Do Consumers Use Voice Search?: Interpreting Our Google Survey Results appeared first on NetElixir.

This massive shift in consumer behavior comes with challenges, as mobile browsing is limited by slower connections, smaller screens, and limited processing power. This is a far cry from desktop web design trends, which favor immersive design experiences, sprawling images, and interactive elements.

Google’s solution to this problem was to create an alternative web browsing experience for mobile devices, dubbed Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) pages. With AMP, Google can deliver mobile pages that meet customer expectations, which puts more emphasis on content and creating a consistent experience.

So what are AMP pages and how can you use them in your digital arsenal?

Accelerated Mobile Pages Explained

In a nutshell, AMP pages are mobile-friendly versions of your web pages that are completely optimized for mobile browsing. AMP strips away extraneous code, leaving you with simple pages that load quickly, are easy to read, and limit distractions.

AMP pages are loaded directly from Google’s servers, meaning they’re able to render in a fraction of a second, compared to most web hosts. Because of their standardized layout, users can expect a familiar experience when clicking on an AMP page, noted by a lightning bolt icon on mobile search results.

In many cases, AMP pages maintain most of the design of your existing branded pages, with a few exceptions. Take the example below from Wired. The general presentation remains consistent, but the AMP page reduces certain design elements, replaces a video ad with a static ad, and prioritizes above the fold content. These updates, coupled with many behind-the-scenes updates, results in a page that loads up to four times faster on mobile devices.

Why AMP Matters Today (And Even More Tomorrow)

Google AMP pages are based on the AMP Project, an open source page format that enables pages with multimedia content to load instantaneously for proper viewing on mobile devices. The project has seen widespread adoption online, with over 600 million AMP pages live since 2016. Add into the mix that Facebook has now integrated with AMP pages, and you can see why folks are getting behind this movement.

The main features of AMP include:

• Blazing Speed. Undoubtedly, the most distinctive feature of AMP pages is speed. Pages load faster and more fluid, eliminating wait times that typically drive customers offsite.
• HTML & JavaScript Optimization. AMP has special restrictions regarding markup and features, ensuring that pages meet specific speed and resource restrictions.
• Open Source and Free for All. The ability to be open to all creators of content on the Internet who wish to join it. In this, it differs clearly from, for example, the platform Facebook Instant Articles, which is limited to a reduced number of partners.
• Backed By Google. As the world’s largest and most used search engine, Google brings nearly instant legitimacy to the AMP Project. Throw in the recent Facebook integration, and you can see why this format is quickly running away with the market.

As AMP continues to gain mainstream adoption, it’s becoming more crucial for e-commerce vendors to integrate the technology with their sites. Here’s why:

1. Page Speed is REALLY Important

Anyone familiar with Google knows how much emphasis they place on customer experience. And can you guess what the number one customer complaint about mobile is? Load time! In fact, studies have shown that a one second delay in mobile page load time can decrease conversions up to 20%. For most e-commerce brands, that can be the difference between thriving and barely surviving in a cutthroat digital environment.

2. AMP is Coming to AdWords

At the 2017 Marketing Next Conference, Google announced the introduction of AMP for ads and landing pages. These announcements further cemented AMP pages as Google’s premier mobile solution and should be a sign to advertisers that the technology isn’t going away.

The effect on consumer behavior can’t be understated either. AMP ads typically load up to five seconds faster than their non-AMP equivalents, preventing bad UX experiences that occur when ads load after your content.

3. Consumer Preference Will Dictate Adoption

As users become more and more acquainted with the AMP lightning symbol, it will begin to develop a sense of trust. Clicking an AMP ready page guarantees fast speed and a predictable experience, two features that dominate mobile best practices. Brands can latch onto that trust while its still early, and take advantage of the technology while its still in earlier phases.

Getting Started with AMP

Getting started with AMP isn’t particularly difficult, but you will need help from your development team or agency to get started. WordPress users can take advantage of the AMP plugin to get started, but more advanced brands will likely rely on a custom solution to closely match their branded mobile pages with their AMP pages.

NetElixir offers AMP implementation services for many of the larger e-commerce platforms, while also helping you get ready for AMP landing pages and ads. Contact us today to see how we can help you AMP up your mobile efforts!

The post Why AMP Pages Are Essential to a Mobile-First Strategy appeared first on NetElixir.

Improving your mobile site could be the holy grail of reducing bounce rate and getting those people to dive even deeper on their smartphone. Imagine your website sells designer shoes for less and you’re hosting a grand sale of 20% off plus free shipping on every order. If a user lands on your mobile (regardless of paid or organic means), they’ll be less likely to stay on if it takes more than three to four seconds to load. They’ll end up going on that other guy’s site.

It’s been said over and over again. Design with mobile in mind. Consider Google’s micro-moments for a minute. 

It’s your friend’s birthday and you were in charge of the gluten-free cupcakes. While ordering online last minute could be a possibility and you could pick up in-store…you want to take a look at the cupcakes in person before you make a decision. Besides, this friend is a picky eater. Here are the local results on desktop:

Now you’re interested. Guess it’ll be House of Cupcakes in Princeton. Switching to mobile now.

The page loaded pretty fast and mmm, those cupcakes look so delectable. They definitely got my attention. This will be a piece of cake, or…cupcake!

Now back to the basics!

What are the main factors that contribute to a great user experience?

This one is easy. Consider speed, intuitive design, and functionality. How exactly can improving mobile make a difference on your business? It can drive revenue, acquire new customers, and retain older ones. Why are we drilling this so hard? As previously mentioned, it helps reduce bounce rate. Remember, mobile sites are an investment in the future since 80% of users own a smartphone! (Source: ImpactBND)

How exactly does speed and performance affect your business?

Let’s give you an example. Remember that opening scene in Office Space where Peter is in his car, stuck in a traffic jam. Even if you haven’t seen this brilliant film, you’ve been in this situation. Peter tries to switch lanes, because the lane he switched into was going faster. As soon as he goes into that lane, the previous lane he was in starts going faster. He can’t win and he’s frustrated.

That feeling of utter frustration he feels prevents him from accomplishing his objective (to get into work) in a (sort of) timely manner. The end user has a goal in mind and when they can’t make it past your slow website, they tap “back” on their phone and choose your competitor. That’ll keep happening until you make some much-needed changes.

You must create a seamless experience to ensure that the user perceives your site as fast and responsive. All the valuable information (across platforms) should be above the fold.

What are the metrics that matter?

Speed index, total number of requests, and page weight.

What issues can get in the way? (Don’t worry, we’ll elaborate.)

Too many large images, requests, and/or loading above the fold.

How do we resolve these issues? Let’s take a look.

Problem: Images not optimized for a mobile experience – Images typically contribute to 60-65% of a page’s weight. Some common issues are that images may not be compressed before they’re added to your site or there are just too many image requests loading at once.

Solution: Your main images (like from landing pages) shouldn’t shouldn’t be larger than 100kb, but everything else should be in the 20-50kb range. Use a compression tool, like Optimizilla, to reduce the size of an image. If you have too many images, you could try adding smaller images or use a sprite, a larger image and several small images within in.

Problem: Too many requests – If you have more than 100 requests trying to load at once on your homepage or landing page, this may cause some issues. Too many mobile requests can require that a new TCP connection is opened every time for each request, unless they’re an HTTP/2 Protocol. In other words, the conversation (data exchanged) between the homepage and web server is too much, so it has to be sent in smaller batches, opening up a whole new conversation every time.

Solution: Chrome DevTools allows you to see the total number of requests for each main element. The main elements and their target request range are as follows:

• JS: <10 (not including pixels)
• CSS: <5
• Images: <30
• Font: 0-3
• Total = should equal 100

Review your total number of requests to assess if they’re all necessary. There may have been a few you just forgot about or never updated. It happens. You can also combine resources, where possible, to reduce the total number of requests.

Believe it or not, fonts can also make an impression on how a user views your website, especially if there are five or more fonts trying to load all at once. Ensure your website is using web fonts, and keep variation to a minimum. (If your brand requires a specialty font, don’t be deterred from using it. Keep in mind though, it may load differently for some users.)

Problem: Too much loading above the fold – This means that as soon as users land on your mobile page, your visible content (anything that doesn’t require scrolling) doesn’t load quickly enough. This will definitely increase bounce rate. Remember, the head and body of your HTML need to load in order.

Solution: First, check out this handy web page test site to see the first 3 seconds of a user’s mobile experience on your homepage. If it loads slowly, you have too many requests trying to load. So, you need to minimize these requests, found in the head and body of your HTML. You can either eliminate, shrink, or defer their download. If shrinking, reduce the amount of data used by your sources like compressing images, eliminate render blocking CSS and javascript, and reduce your total requests to less than 100.

What is your site’s mobile speed?

Testing your website speed has never been easier. Follow the steps below and find out how you stack up. Again, we’ll use House of Cupcakes as an example.

1. Go to WebPagetest.org

2. Click on Advanced Settings

3. Make sure you’ve filled out the following. It should mirror the next screenshot.

• Test Location: Nexus 5
• Browser: Nexus 5 – Chrome
• Connection: Mobile 3G
• Number of Tests to Run: 3
• Repeat View: First View Only
• Capture View: Checkmark
• Keep Text Private: Enter nothing.
• Label: Enter nothing.

Note: Keep in mind that you should have an index score that’s less than 5,000.

4. This is the screen you should see once you hit run. Click on “Waterfall” to see the data behind how everything loads and click on “Video” to see how long it takes their side to load in real-time.

Take a look at how long is takes House of Cupcakes to load their page.

Now ask yourself: does this make you more likely or less likely to get cupcakes or other baked goods from them?

If you want some more tips on how to improve your mobile experience, reach out to our team via info@netelixir.com for a mobile audit. Don’t drive your potential clients away!

The post A Simple Guide to a Mobile-Friendly Site appeared first on NetElixir.

Pinterest, the visual discovery and bookmarking tool, was showing a greater potential to drive revenue for brands for a long time in comparison to other social networks. The social media company took this potential to the next level on June 2, 2015 when they  unveiled their new feature called “buyable pins” for users in the United States. Buyable Pins give an option for visitors to browse items by price and color and then finally purchase the product with a click without ever having to leave the social media platform. Users will be able to buy products directly through the company’s app using this new type of pin.

According to comScore, Pinterest now has over 72.8 million monthly active users. Pinterest’s co-founder and CEO Ben Silbermann has stated that one of the most common requests seen from these users was to turn Pinterest into a store. Implementing Buyable Pins certainly is a big step in realizing the channel’s potential to be a sales platform, as well as recognizing the customer’s desires for the social media channel.

Pinterest has explained that when you spot a Pin with a blue price attached, you’ll know it’s buyable. Buyable pins will have a blue “Buy it” button next to the traditional “Pin it” button, as well as a blue price tag on the left. Color, size, and other variations can be selected from within the pins. Customers can then buy items using a credit card or with Apple Pay. Pinterest will not store customer credit card information, and Apple Pay will only share a device specific account number with the seller, and not an actual credit card number, which ensures additional security for buyers on Pinterest. There is also no added fee for buyers and merchants. Silbermann has stated this feature will become available later this month first on the Pinterest app for iPhone and iPad, followed by Android. Buyable Pins will show up in all of Pinterest’s features, such as in search and recommendations.

How to Start Selling with Buyable Pins

There are currently over 2 million Buyable Pins available for users in United States from major retailers like Macy’s, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Cole Haan and Michaels. For other advertisers, the feature is also available on two eCommerce platforms, Shopify and Demandware.

Pinterest also mentioned that it will open up its platform to third-party developers in the future. Businesses that are not on Shopify or Demandware can sign up for the wait list for future updates on integration opportunity.

Pinterest has been raved about by marketers for being a future-focused social platform with a large number of active members who actively look for products and ideas. Now with ‘Buyable Pins’, marketers can hope that their purchase funnel will complete right in Pinterest app, from awareness, to consideration, to purchase, and hopefully to loyalty. Such future-focused steps also justify why the valuation of Pinterest has doubled in less than a year to $11 billion, and has made its mark to the top 10 list of Wall Street Journal’s Billion Dollar Startup Club. Now that customers can explore millions of hand-picked products on the social media platform, an unexpected find might become your next must-have. Buy it securely, right on Pinterest!

The post ‘Buyable Pins’: Purchase Products Right in the Pinterest App appeared first on NetElixir.

According to a 2014 Facebook study, 53% of people who have 2 devices switch between them to complete tasks, while 77% of people who have 3 devices do the same. Among all the devices covered in the Facebook study, 22% ended their tasks with a tablet, and 58% with a laptop. Although consumers are using all of these devices, our current attribution models make it hard to figure out the impact of each device in driving purchases.

So what is the solution to this conundrum? How can we track users across all of their devices?

We discovered multiple opportunities to solve this puzzle of how to follow a user across multiple device environments. Here’s what we recommend to crack the code of multi-device attribution:

• Householding: Connect multiple devices based on the IP range network. You can consider users who belong to the same IP network, based on their usage behaviour, as a single user.

• Deterministic Approach: Connect multiple devices based on a user id. The accuracy for this approach is around 95%! This is when users are asked to sign into social media accounts before they can access services (and one of the reasons why Facebook is better off in multi device attribution compared to Google). In this approach, your users are identifying themselves for you, as long as they are logged into these accounts on each device.

• Probabilistic Model: This approach is purely based on predictive algorithms. Many programs (including Google programs) analyze multiple elements such as cookies, browsing patterns and timestamps to make predictions about users who have explored purchases through multiple devices.

While we aren’t yet able to completely track our multi-device users, using these strategies can help us start to understand them, and intelligently navigate our multi-device world.

The post Multi-Device Attribution – The Modern Marketer’s Biggest Dilemma appeared first on NetElixir.

Everywhere you turn, you see young people staring down at their smartphones or tablets, tapping away as they shop online, answer a text message, respond to an email, or play their favorite app. Over the past few years, the love that young people have for their mobile devices has turned into an obsession, and companies are beginning to take advantage of it.

A new study conducted by Zogby Analytics shows that approximately 90% of millennials (the name of people who make up Generation Y) say that their smartphones are never far out of sight, or rarely ever leave their side. Two hours of each day spent by 78% of the millennials studied include texting, talking, tweeting and surfing the web. Mobile devices have also made shopping more convenient, as Generation Y uses very little energy and dedicates very little time to make a purchase. For companies, this is important information. More importantly, businesses are beginning to understand how to maximize exposure through mobile devices and make conversions.

But how?

The Faces of Generation Y

Before I answer this question, we must first understand who millennials are. If you were born between the years of 1977 and 2000, you are a millennial. Congratulations! You are part of the first generation of “digital natives.”

More than 80 million people make up Generation Y, which makes this generation larger than the baby Boomer generation and Generation X. This large amount of people also makes up 25% of the United States population. Businesses cannot and should not ignore the buying power of millennials, as they are trendsetters and has a huge influence on how the advertising industry will grow in the future.

Millennials are different than people who grew up in previous generations because they are interested in participating in your marketing initiatives through social media, sharing your content and creating their own content based on your brand – all of this activity done through a mobile device.

Companies Can Advertise to Millennials by Understanding Their Habits

If companies understand that millennials are doing their shopping through their smartphone or tablet, than why not take advantage of this habit? If millennials spend their entire day with their mobile device by their side, companies can make sure their advertisements are the first thing they see.

If your company isn’t speaking the mobile language, then it is missing the boat. Young consumers are demanding user-friendly websites that they can navigate on their mobile device. If they see that your website is not mobile user-friendly, they will think your company is out of date and will not want to do business with you.

Google Taking Charge in Mobile UX Revolution

Google is making a big push to ensure that search results will reflect the revolution of mobile usage, specifically the experience a user has when visiting a mobile website. Is Google interested in leading the revolution in making the web a better place in a mobile environment? One sign that could answer this question is that Google will make sure webmaster make their mobile website user-friendly because they are in the process of adding it to their search ranking algorithm.

Why does Google believe mobile user experience is important? According to the company’s recent mobile statistics, 61% of users are unlikely to return to a mobile website if they have trouble accessing it from their smartphone or tablet.

Because Google is in the process in adding mobile user experience to their search rank algorithm, we believe webmasters will be forced to adopt the best practices on their mobile website.

E-Retailers Can Expect Great Results from Launching a Mobile-Friendly Site

NetElixir has compiled insights proving the revenue-generating power of launching a mobile-friendly website including an 86% increase in YOY conversions after launching a mobile-friendly website, a 15% increase in paid visits from a mobile site and a 23% increase in paid traffic after implementing a mobile-friendly platform.

Ok, so businesses now understand that having a mobile-friendly website is important if they want to stay in the game and beat out the competition. But, how do they do that?

Simplify Your Site Design

You can simply pull up your website on your own smartphone or tablet and see whether or not your website needs a change in design. Rule of thumb: if you are having a hard time navigating your website, chances are EVERYONE DOES! Simple design changes include using simpler designs, implementing larger font sizes. All critical information should be placed above the fold, including an “About Us” tab and “Contact Us” tab.

Continue to Proof Your Website

As you begin to make long-term plans and investments in your business, you should plan on making long-term re-design goals on your list as well. Ten years ago, most companies didn’t care about the mobile user experience because it wasn’t a trend yet. Stay ahead of the latest trends by ensuring your website can reach customers via desktop, tablet and smartphone. Who knows – maybe ten years from now you will need to begin to optimize your website to reach consumers via bathroom mirror or refrigerator door!

NetElixir can be your partner in this journey as we are dedicated to humanizing every click – or in this case, humanizing every tap! Is your website set up for an exceptional mobile user experience?

The post Improving Mobile User Experience for the Millennial Generation appeared first on NetElixir.

Our findings are based on search marketing led hourly sales data aggregated on Black Friday for 38 large US online retailers (in 7 retail categories representing 120 million search impressions). NetElixir uses proprietary search marketing analytics technology, LXRRetail, for data aggregation and analysis.

The findings pertain to Black Friday (11/29/2013) and Cyber Monday (12/2/2013).

Summary of the findings:

• 18.3% of all product searches on Black Friday originated from smartphones. (Chart 1)
• 65.2% of all smartphone orders came between 6pm and midnight. (As against 54.4% of all orders from PC and tablets). (Chart 2)
• Average Cost Per Click for a search ad from smartphone was 32% lower compared to PC searches.
• Mobile searches accounted for 20% or more of total searches before 9am and after 9pm.

Chart 1: (Searches from smartphone/Total searches) per day-part

Chart 2: Percentage of Total Black Friday Orders per Day-Part

The post 18% of all Searches Originated from Smartphones on Black Friday appeared first on NetElixir.

In a recent study by IDC,  sales of smartphones grew about 57% in the first quarter of this year.  These smartphones account for 18.8% of all mobile phones shipped during 1Q10.  Retailers seem to be taking advantage of this “consumer on the go” and mobile coupons are really beginning to take off.  It is in a retailer’s best interest to explore a mobile coupon strategy; Graham Charlton of Econsultancy makes a compelling case.

Take Crocs, for example.  In-store signs are promoting a 15% discount on any purchase.  Customers simply have to text “Crocs” and the store number to the retailer’s short code.  The reply text bounces a code right back and the cashier enters the information at the register.  This trial campaign has been successful so far, with 94,000 requests in two months as of early May.

Target offers another way to cash in on the savings.  Earlier this year they launched a mobile coupon that could be scanned directly from the customer’s phone.  Customers need to opt-in at either Target’s online site or their mobile site.  The opt-in feature addresses any privacy concerns and ensures that the customer is not being bothered with unsolicited texts.  JC Penney got in the action as well by teaming up with a third party coupon provider which provides customers with coupons to be scanned from their phones.

Seemingly one of the biggest benefits to mobile coupons is that there is a platform for customer communication.  But the bottom line is that retailers are getting the most bang for their buck.  It is an inexpensive way to get consumers into the store and keep them coming back.  Who would turn down coupons that find you?  In the days of clipping coupons, I would simply forget to bring them to the store or just not feel like being tasked with hunting through circulars.  Today mobile coupons have simplified it for me…and I will keep coming back for more.

The post You Can Take It With You: The Ease of Mobile Coupons appeared first on NetElixir.