In a recent InternetRetailing webinar, The reponsive inbox: marketing to multidevice consumers, Jim Davidson manager of marketing research at Bronto considered how marketers can adapt their communications and the way they present websites to the world of the changing inbox. Below, we summarise the subject areas covered.
• Consumers are aware of the work of marketers, and today they’re looking for a two-way conversation.
• Dissolving the path to purchase: the traditional approach that went from browsing to adding to card to checkout and beyond is changing as consumers drop in and out of the process, adding to basket at any moment in their day. Consumers feel more empowered around the process. Go beyond the linear concept of shop to purchase.
Defining the definitions: the differences between responsive, adaptive and mobile-first design.
Like jogging bottoms, responsive design adapts to fit the device it’s viewed through, expanding and contracting.
Adaptive design is more like having a wardrobe full of trousers: the website detects the device that is used to visit a site and applies the relevant, best fitting design.
Mobile-first, like a pair of skinny jeans, is aimed at fitting mobile views first, with the aim that the one design will work no matter how viewed. Tend to be narrow designs.
Examples
Samsung – PC, tablet and mobile views in responsive design. One set of codes provides them all. Analysis of what’s changed, why and what effect that has.
OfficeMax site in mobile and tablet adaptive views. Analysis of what’s changed between the two and what the effect is.
The responsive inbox
• Left behind? Very early on in the journey: 96% of websites designed for computer are not adapted for mobile devices; 4% are responsive design. Adaptive design is getting to two thirds of market share for iPhone or Android, but for iPad most use the full website.
• Analysis of which email clients (ie Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook and OS mail app) are optimised for iPhone, Android, and iPad.
• How email views vary from different email clients, when seen on different devices. eg. Yahoo on Android, IOS email app on iPhone and Gmail app on Android.
• Importance of testing: use inbox to test responsive variations.
• Content prioritisation: examples from Belle & Clive, Nike.
• Constructing the content: example from Rack Room Shoes and how order can be changed and reprioritised between emails for different devices.
Other ways to ‘respond’
• Making mobile shopping easier. Example Helzberg Diamonds: mobile-optimised site, ability to make store appointments, product availability checker, custom designs, mobile-friendly store locator.
• Creating value. Example: Gap: flagging up reserve in store for those who need it now.
• Cross-channel offers to drive online shoppers to the store. Examples: Staples explaining how to use a mobile voucher received by email in store; Office Max showing how to send an online coupon to their phone.
• Build awareness and increase adoption.
• Question and answer session.
To hear the webinar for yourself, to view the accompanying slides and hear the question and answer session, visit the Bronto webinar page.
For details of our other webinars, visit our webinars page.
