Google launches Test My Site to aid SMEs’ online presence: Page 2 of 2

It's all about being relevant and helpful

Gamo revealed that Google has identified four key findings from the study. The first is that Asia’s consumers are more empowered to make purchase decisions, and make them quicker. In Vietnam and Thailand, 97% of people make purchase decisions quicker than they did a few years ago because of online mobile research.

“Users make more informed purchase decisions based on online research, whether on price, location or whether they can buy something cheaper online than offline. Ninety-two percent of Malaysians do this.”

The second insight is that brand loyalty is built moment-by-moment. This means that the majority of users in the Asia Pacific do not have a specific brand in mind when they begin looking for information about a product online – 96% of Japanese smartphone users admitted to this, for example.

In Malaysia, 68% of smartphone users purchase a brand they have not previously considered based on relevant information available on their smartphones at the moment.

The third insight, perhaps the most interesting, is that Asia Pacific consumers prefer helpful brands – those that provide information related to what they want to buy.

“People are more likely to buy from companies that provide instructional video content,” said Gamo, citing the Philippines as an example, where 86% of smartphone users do this compared to only 48% of their American counterparts.

“People are also more likely to buy from companies that tailor information to their location and even time of day. Consumers want to see information that is relevant to their context.”

Gamo also pointed out that consumers in Asia Pacific consider it very important that mobile sites or apps help them easily find answers to their questions, even simple ones on issues such as schedules, ordering times, prices and location.

“This is about being able to provide customers what they need at the moment they are searching on their mobile phone, which is why mobile presence is so important,” she said.

The final insight is that in the Asia Pacific, the online and offline worlds have become blurred as a mobile presence boosts both e-commerce and in-store sales.

“Before walking into a store, the consumer has already researched the brand and products online. This means the online and offline brand experiences must be seamless,” explained Gamo.

She also revealed that, interestingly, a large percentage of people continue to consult their phones while in stores. Ninety-five percent of smartphone users in Vietnam and 81% in Malaysia reported this behaviour.

“If you want to be top-of-mind, remembered and for people to repeat purchase, this kind of experience from the brand is relevant to smartphone users,” she said.

Capturing the supershoppers
Gamo described the empowered shopper as a supershopper – the kind of people who know what they want, where to get it and the best price.

Three factors define a supershopper – they keep their options as to what brand to purchase open, they form their opinions and make decisions as they are browsing on their mobile device, and they use the smartphone as their door to the store.

“All these are reasons why it is important for businesses to be online on mobile and not only on desktop,” stressed Gamo.

Gamo divulged that Test My Site is the tool to use to ensure businesses capture the supershopper, something that is very important in today’s marketplace.

“If you’re not able to provide a good online experience to the people who are searching for you, you are potentially missing out on sales or consideration from these people who were previously interested,” she said.

The tool also provides recommendations on platforms for creating or fixing websites. The suggestions are tailored for the country or region the user is in.

“This is a useful and important tool for business owners, especially small ones who tend to build and run their own websites,” said Gamo.

“It will really help you become more friendly on mobile and desktop, to get that sale, get that revenue, and make everything have a return.”
 
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