In a major step towards its “AI first” dream, Google has developed a text-to-speech artificial intelligence (AI) system that will confuse you with its human-like articulation. [Source: The Economic Times]
FACEBOOK’S latest move in hoping to attract more advertisers to its platforms is the addition of a “Click to WhatsApp” option for Facebook ads. The move follows the “Click to Messenger” option introduced in November 2016 and Instagram’s “Click to Messenger”, added in last May. [Source: Tech Wire Asia]
The Alibaba-owned UC browser is winning the war for mobile users in India and Indonesia. Relying on StatCounter data, The Wall Street Journal is reporting that it’s beating Google’s Chrome in these large developing markets. [Source: Marketing Land]
A new report from Cowen analyst John Blackledge has some bad news for Snap. He interviewed 50 ad buyers and found that they overwhelmingly preferred Instagram to Snapchat. [Source: Fast Company]
With the idea of spreading snaps everywhere, Snapchat is trying to launch “Stories Everywhere” option in their platform. The social media platform wants to provide content that can last longer than just a few hours. Stories Everywhere would allow the snaps to appear on websites and applications outside the native Snapchat app. [Source: Logicserve Digital]
In June of 2017, Google announced that they would be introducing an ad blocker for the Chrome web browser in an effort to filter ads violating industry standards. Now, we have a sense of when: February 15, 2018. [Source: DMN]
Facebook will chip away at Google’s dominance in digital advertising thanks to the growth of Instagram and video ads, according to a new research note from Cowen. [Source: CNBC]
Last October, Facebook extended the usage (and flexibility) of Instagram Stories — the Snapchat-like feature that lets you patch together photos and videos into a slide show — by making it easy to directly post a Story to Facebook. Now Facebook is looking at how to bring WhatsApp into the fold. [Source: TechCrunch]
Snapchat might be going the way of YouTube. The messaging and camera app, which has been wary of forcing ads on its audience, is seriously considering whether to subject viewers to three seconds of advertisements before giving them the option to skip the commercial break, Ad Age reported (paywall), citing advertisers and media players familiar with the company’s plans. [Source: Quartz]
To keep your interest and attention, Facebook’s always tweaking its News Feed algorithm to ensure that users are served the most engaging and relevant material possible. Usually these updates are good for the overall user experience, but they can also cause significant headaches for marketers, and there were two that were recently announced which marketers need to be aware of if they want to make the most of the already dwindling organic reach. [Source: Social Media Today]
Expert Opinion:
- Giving a good consumer experience on Mobile – a must for Brands
We know that mobile phones have become an essential part of our lives and how the new-age consumers are utilizing it for fulfilling their needs. On one side, consumers are increasingly using their mobile phones to seek information about a brand, interact with it and maybe even buy their product online and on the other side consumers are spoilt for choices.
In such a scenario, it has become imperative for brands to focus on providing consumers a seamless and positive mobile customer experience in order to thrive in this disruptive environment.
Here are a few ways marketers can work on improving mobile consumer experience:
– Create compatible designs for various platforms
Various mobile handsets have different operating systems and functional capabilities. It is important to create your designs that render perfectly and uniformly across platforms & devices, thus avoiding any dissonance amongst users and creating a strong foundation for a great user experience.
– Simple, friendly onboarding experience
Different studies have indicated that on the mobile a user takes not more than 8 seconds to decide if he wants to engage with the content/brand. In this scenario if a brand wants to really connect with their users, they must have a very simple and interactive onboarding experience. This is where the customers will get to know the brand and can develop affinity and preference for it.
– Understand user personas and their context for interactions
In addition to focusing on design tools, a brand should give context a priority; they should understand the customers, their profiles, buyer personas and the context for their interactions. This can help a brand deliver memorable experiences to the customers.
– Be interactive
A Brand should be able to engage with the visitors, gain their attention and develop interest among them. Interactive customer experiences are a great way to build long-term relationship with consumers and marketers should build their websites/ apps based on anticipated user behaviors and thought out actions.
– Navigation and accessibility
Ease of navigation and easier accessibility to useful information is crucial to deliver a positive mobile consumer experience. A brand should understand the general usage pattern on mobile devices and the way users navigate across the small mobile screen. It will then be able to place important action buttons and showcase relevant information that the users are likely to look for.
Brands should also ensure there is an option for a search box/icon so that it becomes easier for users to look for what they need without having to browse through multiple pages. Complicated navigation can tend to take your users away from your website/ app and on the other hand, a good website/app with relevant information and simple navigation pattern is sure to leave the users feel good about the brand.
– Testing and alterations
It is of paramount importance to regularly test the mobile customer journey and make any changes/ alterations wherever required basis the observations and customer feedback. This will ensure the customers have a fulfilling mobile experience every time they approach the brand on mobile.
Looking at the way mobile phones are taking over every aspect of our day-to-day lives, there is a need for brands to focus their efforts on providing a great and immersive user experience to the consumers through their mobile app/ site. This can make a lot of difference in a consumer’s brand preference and loyalty.
