When it comes to mobile interaction we are in the middle of an industry shift from desktop applications and interactions to mobile applications and interactions. It is by no means certain what the end state will be, but one thing is certain: customers have changed the way they interact with companies forever.

90% of customers conduct research before buying a product with 44% always looking to recommendations and review sites. Only 4% of people never use reviews. 29% of Argos customers in Q1: 2012 used a reserve and collect service (Source: Ivis Group Report). That means that no matter where you think about, see or evaluate a product on a mobile, you can click to buy, and either collect it locally or have it delivered to your home. It’s projected that up to 40% of all purchases will be click-and-collect by 2016.

65% of people will view stock in store (showrooming) before going online to buy. 43% of people in the eConsultancy Multichannel Retail Survey (2012) use mobile to compare prices or look up product reviews while shopping!. Incredibly, this is up from just 19% of people in 2011. This is a seismic shift. The fact is that retailers and all other businesses have to figure out what effects this changing mobile behaviour will have on not only customer interaction, but there existing business models.

Powerful smartphone handsets, new iPad’s, tablets, and kindles are able to handle full multi-mode communications, co-browsing, and transactions. This is a world where you can literally use your phone to scan a friends new piece of DIY equipment, get best local price, share with friends to get further comments, buy, and have it delivered the same day to your home. Whole legacy systems are being bypassed here, from logistics, point of sales systems.

Companies are having to come to terms with the concept that mobile interaction changes the activities that occur upon the customer journey. With a mobile-first world customer expectations have shifted. We expect to be able to get answers right now; we want to know if it’s in stock, right now. If it’s not in stock right now, we want to know exactly how long it would take to have it; we might want to even see it being made; talk to people along the manufacturing process. Sound a bit crazy? Remember when it was “a bit odd” to be able to see the chef cooking when you were at a restaurant? Now that’s an incredibly important part of the customer experience.

As customers move through the customer journey there will be opportunities to gather data, apply data, and generate information and communication exchange opportunities.

Source: 6 Ways Ecosystems Have Changed our Roles and the Way We Work.

Twitter CEO Dick Costello has recently pointed out that Twitter has become a real “4th screen space” which people are using to connect and comment on other events, from being on the sofa watching TV, to being at a live event. Ask yourself, what’s the opportunity to learn more about the customer across these stages; how can we create interaction opportunities that are meaningful and how can we remove or automate interactions at other stages.

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