While this time of year is one of the best to take vacations as a result of lower airline tickets and slow business, there is still much to learn about upcoming and even current consumer behavior trends. Google has revealed some exciting new information about customer attention spans and their video watch times as they flock to their TV’s at prime time. Check out how you can take advantage of this new opportunity while creating and optimizing your content to increase website traffic and even sales.
Predicting Upcoming Trends
While you may have already noticed, the number of screens – mainly mobile – has increased. This new technology has also allowed content to flood their desktop and mobile devices as companies are constantly battling to capture the attention of the consumer. Now with the influx of ads, information, pictures, and videos readily available to the user, they have come to understand that they can learn anything at any time. This realization has also naturally shortened their attention span as they constantly scroll through mountains of content to find the answer they need.
Due to the number of consumers and companies flocking to the internet for its convenience, websites are teeming with service and product pages, blogs, pictures, and other content in hopes of capturing and holding the attention of each visitor. Harvard Business School professor and brand consultant Thales Teixeira has conducted a study about this new trend, saying that, “Over the past two decades, the cost of one minute of a person’s attention to TV in the U.S. has risen by a factor of seven, even after controlling for inflation.”
Solution for Short Attention Span
Unfortunately, the amount of competition is not going away anytime soon; however, Teixeira has found a solution for these shortened attention spans. The key is to create a plan that will retain their attention in the long run, giving them a reason to return to your website in the future. Whether you are rolling out new products or services, updating and optimizing your content will allow you to build and maintain relationships, resulting in increased sales.
It is important to remember that consumers have become more impatient, demanding, and curious as they pull out their phones in the exact moment a need arises. Being ready to fulfill these needs right away is the key to not only increasing sales but building a relationship with your customers.
The Success of Short Ads
Axel Adida, global digital chief operating officer of L’Oreal reported that, “Testing six-second ads has also helped us understand what building for shorter attention spans looks and feels like.” This new ad format has allowed numerous companies, such as L’Oreal, to quickly send their message without losing the attention of their customer. David Kargas, a director of marketing communication for Clorox has also stated, “Everyone should know two things: your objective and your boundaries. Everything else is creative space.” In other words, six-second time frame must be clear and relevant or the business will not accomplish its goal.
Increased Watch Time
While it can be difficult to capture and retain the attention of your customers, another discovery was made that has provided some relief for marketers. According to Google, watch time is increasing in certain areas all over the world.
- Watch time of back-to-school-related content has increased by 300% over the past 2 years.
- Watch time of product-review videos have grown by 1,000%.
- People in Thailand and Indonesia are watching YouTube more than ever.
Increased Awareness of Diversity
After all of these advances in technology, companies and consumers alike are constantly thinking about the future and what will happen next. Artificial Intelligence has also been slowly revealing itself as large companies, such as Apple and Amazon, are testing its capabilities.
As this new addition is geared towards personalization, companies must now focus on social change, diversity, and culture when incorporating this new technology into their operations. Ultimately, there is much work to be done, new technology to incorporate, and consumer trends to study in order to stay ahead of competition and increase sales.
Work with the Professionals
Keeping up with consumer trends can already be time-consuming, but adjusting to their short attention spans can be even more difficult. Adding videos, blogs, infographics, product and service pages, etc. to the website are essential but many business do not have the resources of creating this content themselves.
We at Proceed Innovative understand that there is only so much time in the day and that other activities also require attention. But our internet marketing professionals are experts in establishing and optimizing websites that are constantly updated to keep up with the ever-changing consumer behavior. Our years of experience have allowed us to efficiently create content that will either drive customers to your website or your store as a result of quickly satisfying their needs in the moment they arise.
If you would like to speak with us directly, please don’t hesitate to call (800)933-2402 or by filling out a form to the right. We look forward to speaking with you!
