E-commerce and micro-moments: how to constantly capture consumers’ attention
As an online seller, it’s difficult to predict when a customer will buy a product or service. Yet consumers often feel a sudden desire to order products. These are micro-moments. Today, we’re going to explain how to constantly capture the attention of users and convert these critical moments into online sales.
What is a micro-moment?
Micro-moments are brief moments when consumers are suddenly looking for everything. They may be looking to:
- find information about a product
- compare different options
- place an order
- all three at once
During a micro-moment, the user’s intent takes precedence over everything else. They need something right now.
In a world ruled by mobiles, consumers will generally use their smartphone to search. That’s why it’s crucial to optimise your e-commerce site for M-commerce (mobile sales).
The four types of micro-moments
Before we explain the importance of micro-moments in e-commerce, let’s look at the four types of consumers experience.
1. ‘I want to find out about something.’
The user is looking for information but isn’t necessarily intending to make a purchase right away.
📌 Example: ‘Reviews of the Samsung Galaxy S22’. Here, the user wants to find out about the strengths and weaknesses of this smartphone but may not be ready to take the plunge just yet.
2. ‘I want to go somewhere.’
The user is looking for places to go and/or ways to get there.
📌 Example: ‘Japanese restaurant near me’. Here, the user is looking for somewhere to eat and there’s a good chance a transaction will take place soon.
3. ‘I want to know how to do something.’
The user wants to learn how to do something and most likely, they’ll be looking for a tutorial or instructions.
📌 Example: ‘How do I change a kitchen tap?’ Here, the query is not intended to lead to a sale. The user is generally looking for free content to help solve a problem.
4. ‘I want to buy something.’
Users are ready to buy a product or service and are looking for options, online comparisons or reviews.
📌 Example: ‘Where can I buy a PS5 at the best price online?’ If you sell game consoles, your company needs to be visible in the top results on this type of query.
How important are micro-moments in e-commerce?
According to e-commerce statistics, there are more than 26 million e-commerce sites worldwide. and new online stores are opening their virtual doors every day. According to Statista, the global e-commerce market could reach $5.56 trillion by 2027.
So, competition is fiercer than ever, and, in turn, consumers are more demanding than ever.
Therefore, your objective must be to stand out from the competition. There are many ways of doing this and one of them is to identify your target customers’ ‘micro-moments’.
Grasping these key moments will enable you to:
- take advantage of M-commerce
- capture users’ attention at the right moment
- personalise your customers’ online shopping experience
- understand consumer behaviour on your site
- correctly address the search intents of your target audience
How to capture consumers’ attention in micro-moments
1. Optimise your e-commerce site for mobiles
A fast, smooth-running and responsive e-commerce site is essential if you are to make the most of these micro-moments. If your customers can find your site quickly, browse your products easily and find the information they need using their mobiles, you’ll score points.
💡 Do you lack technical know-how? You can turn to a web agency specialising in mobile-first or responsive design.
2. Understand your target customers’ search intents
To capitalise on every search intent, your content and strategy should be aligned with users’ specific needs. Each query formulated by a user reflects a specific intent:
- informational
- navigational
- commercial
- transactional
The challenge in capturing attention in micro-moments is to respond in the most relevant way possible. To make sure you do this, we advise you analyse your customers’ locations, their purchase and browsing histories, their social interactions, the pages they visit, the content they browse, the languages they speak and so on.
3. Personalise customer experience
The data collected in the previous step will enable you to present your communications in a personalised way.
At this stage, you’ll be able to write content in response to your target’s search intents.
You can also guide your users at each stage. For example, you can capture the user’s attention in an ‘I want to know more about’ micro-moment by subtly telling them about the products you sell or inviting them to subscribe to your newsletter. That way, when they’re having another ‘I want to buy’ moment, they’ll be more likely to think of you.
If your research show that your users speak French, English and German, you should get your e-commerce site translated into these languages. Translating your content is fundamental to personalisation and an important point to remember.
Here are ten ways to personalise the user experience of your e-commerce site.
4. Monitor the results with good KPIs
Once your e-commerce site has captured users’ attention in micro-moments, it’s time to measure the success of your actions. That’s how you will be able to identify areas for improvement and fine-tune your strategy.
Here are a few performance indicators to monitor:
- mobile versus desktop traffic
- mobile conversion rate
- the level of customer engagement
- conversions generated on each type of targeted micro-moment
- average positions on targeted queries
- the evolution of brand searches, etc.
E-commerce and micro-moments: what you need to remember
Micro-moments have become a major opportunity in the e-commerce sector.
Spotting them will enable you to better understand your customers’ behaviours, their desires and their needs. Then you’ll be able to suggest relevant products and services at the right times.
Here’s a reminder of the steps you need to take to be successful:
- optimise your site for mobiles
- understand your target customers’ search intents
- personalise customer experience
- monitor the results with good KPIs
- perfect your acquisition strategy
Want to take it further? Here are eight strategies for increasing customer loyalty in e-commerce.
