What Do Today’s Consumers Expect From Mobile?

Whether you’re building an app or trying to get your website performing better on mobile devices, the struggle is real. Giving consumers what they want on mobile isn’t easy, because they want a lot.

They expect things to work 24/7, regardless of their location. They want to have access to information in under 2 seconds, and will look elsewhere if you can’t deliver. The truth is, mobile users keep getting pickier. How can businesses keep up?

The buzz around mobile phones never stops. We’re constantly talking about how to optimize our apps for UX, how to optimize for mobile searches, how to optimize our mobile site for consumers, and how to optimize our paid ads for mobile. That isn’t going to change anytime soon.

What’s interesting though, is how consumer expectations continue to change. Having a good mobile experience is no longer a luxury or a nice surprise — it’s an expectation. Consumers expect to access the web, apps, and personal assistants with the swift swipe of a finger. No waiting, zooming or squinting. They expect the response to be fast, easy and intuitive to meet their demands.

But, it wasn’t always that way. As someone who grew up watching this transition, it makes me laugh when I see my 8-year old angrily shaking his iPad because his newest app isn’t working. He has no idea what it was like for my generation, having to connect to the internet through the telephone line. I still remember my first Blackberry, my first big step into the smartphone world. The functionalities of that thing were terrible — this was back in 2010 of course. But I still loved it, and it blew my mind that I could access Facebook on that tiny screen.

Fast-forward to today, where we exist in a mobile-driven world.

We’ve come a long way with mobile devices over the last decade, and consumer expectations have changed as well. As a business, how can you capitalize on the new mobile economy? With new apps being rolled out on the daily and consumer behavior confirming that people now prefer apps over mobile websites, how can you deliver a good enough customer experience?

Consumer Expectations

When it comes down to really is one question — is your app or mobile site providing a good customer experience?

People will not use or return to your site or app if it’s slow, difficult, or hard to read. But, it doesn’t stop there – you’ve got to do a lot better than cover the basics. As we continue to evolve in our mobile world, customer expectations will continue to grow and expand as well.

If you really want to take your mobile game to the next level, you should also consider these things:

• Global shoppers have expressed the desire to be able to scan items in-store with their mobile phones for pricing and other details
• Consumers want to receive instant credit for coupons via their mobile device, rather than having to print a coupon or have it accessible through their email
• Consumers want to check product availability on their smartphones before going to a store, to ensure their particular item will be there to pick-up.
• Consumers want price adjustments for discount and loyalty programs to happen automatically, via technology in their smartphones.
• Consumers want to make purchases on their mobile devices without typing in all their information. They want to swipe and make purchases.
• They want to quickly email, call, and connect with businesses with no more than a click.

Heck, this list of consumer expectations may even serve as inspiration for your next app idea!

Post originally appeared on gojilabs.com.