Brands are not ready to meet consumer mobile expectations

New research shows that a majority of brands are unprepared when it comes to implementing a mobile strategy and aren't allocating enough resources to improve the mobile experience to meet consumer expectations.

The study by experience management software company Sitecore shows that although 97 percent of brands believe a good mobile experience impacts customer loyalty, 41 percent of respondents have either no mobile strategy in place at all, or have a mobile strategy that has yet to be implemented. In addition, 70 percent of these brands believe that their organization will not deliver on a mobile experience strategy for at least another six months.

When asked how their organization currently interacts with consumers on mobile, only 51 percent of brands say their company personalizes content for mobile web customers, while just 61 percent have a mobile optimized website in place.

Of those businesses that are implementing a mobile experience strategy, 53 percent say mobile investment has led to structural reorganizations or creating new teams and departments. For 46 percent it has led to budget reductions in other areas of the business to allow for additional investment.

"As mobile devices have overtaken PCs for internet access, brands must include the mobile environment when defining the customer experiences they deliver," says Scott Anderson, CMO of Sitecore. "Consumers now expect a contextual experience inclusive of mobile and will reward brands with loyalty for doing so while punishing those that don’t with decreased business. All consumers today should be considered the mobile consumer".

Among other findings are that 97 percent of brands and 76 percent of consumers believe that seamless mobile experiences have an impact on brand loyalty. Security features, speed and convenience are cited as the top three factors that make a good mobile experience.

On the other side of the coin, only 23 percent of brands are able to measure their mobile experience performance based on key performance indicators. In addition just 48 percent of brands report that their organizations are currently delivering a seamless mobile experience to their customers.

You can find out more in the full report which is available on the Sitecore website.

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