• Search Engine Land
  • Sections
    • SEO
    • SEM
    • Local
    • Retail
    • Google
    • Bing
    • Social
    • Resources
    • More
    • Home
  • Follow Us
    • Follow
  • Search Engine Land
  • SEO
  • SEM
  • Local
  • Retail
  • Google
  • Bing
  • Social
  • Resources
  • Live
  • More
  • Events
    • Follow
  • SUBSCRIBE

Search Engine Land

Search Engine Land
  • SEO
  • SEM
  • Local
  • Retail
  • Google
  • Bing
  • Social
  • Resources
  • More
  • Newsletters
  • Home
Mobile

Study: 61 Percent Of Mobile Callers Ready To Convert

As a marketer if you’re not making it easy for mobile users to call you, you’re losing business. A new survey of 3,000 US smartphone users, conducted by IPSOS on behalf of Google, underscores the critical role of calls in the mobile path to purchase. Almost two-thirds (61 percent) of survey respondents said that “click […]

Greg Sterling on September 24, 2013 at 1:13 pm
  • More

Click to Call googleAs a marketer if you’re not making it easy for mobile users to call you, you’re losing business. A new survey of 3,000 US smartphone users, conducted by IPSOS on behalf of Google, underscores the critical role of calls in the mobile path to purchase.

Almost two-thirds (61 percent) of survey respondents said that “click to call is most important in the purchase phase of the shopping process.” And 70 percent of respondents said they had used the “call button” in Google search results.

Mobile search ads or business listings that lack phone numbers (or click to call buttons) will see business go to competitors. Nearly half (47 percent) of mobile search users said they would “explore other brands” if they didn’t quickly find phone numbers.

Screen Shot 2013-09-24 at 10.14.31 AM

The logic is simple and relatively obvious: calls are seen by consumers as a way to get questions answered more efficiently. Mobile sites often fail to deliver against basic user information needs or can be frustrating to use (especially in an “on the go” context). Below is a graphic that shows the top reasons for calling a business.

Screen Shot 2013-09-24 at 9.39.38 AM

Ironically the top reasons for calling could be addressed by better designed mobile sites. Business hours could readily be incorporated into rich snippets (memo to Google) or prominently displayed on mobile sites, which is an argument against responsive design. Scheduling can certainly be done in a mobile environment (see OpenTable). Inventory is the potential exception that still may require human interaction.

Below is a chart that elaborates upon the above and breaks down reasons for calling by vertical:

Reasons for calling

The study also found that calls happen at strategic times in the “customer journey.” Callers are typically the most qualified leads. Accordingly marketers and businesses that don’t make it easy for “ready to buy” consumers to locate phone numbers or initiate calls from mobile search results will potentially lose out to competitors.

Screen Shot 2013-09-24 at 9.50.10 AM

The survey found that consumers are more likely to call a business for somewhat “higher consideration” items. So, in general, smartphone-based calls will tend to come from buyers who want to make larger value purchases.

Screen Shot 2013-09-24 at 9.51.42 AM

Google makes the case that whether or not consumers ultimately call, ads with call extensions see 8 percent higher click-through rates over ads without phone numbers.

There’s a great deal more information, including a deep-dive by vertical available in the report, which can be obtained here.


Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.



About The Author

Greg Sterling
Greg Sterling is a Contributing Editor to Search Engine Land, a member of the programming team for SMX events and the VP, Market Insights at Uberall.

Related Topics

Channel: MobileGoogle AdsGoogle: MobileStats: Search Behavior

We're listening.

Have something to say about this article? Share it with us on Facebook, Twitter or our LinkedIn Group.

Get the daily newsletter search marketers rely on.
See terms.

ATTEND OUR EVENTS

Lorem ipsum doler this is promo text about SMX events.

February 23, 2021: SMX Report

April 13, 2021: SMX Create

May 18-19, 2021: SMX London

June 8-9, 2021: SMX Paris

June 15-16, 2021: SMX Advanced

August 17, 2021: SMX Convert

November 9-10, 2021: SMX Next

October 2021: SMX Advanced Europe

December 17, 2021: SMX Code

Available On-Demand: SMX

×


Learn More About Our SMX Events

Discover actionable tactics that can help you overcome crucial marketing challenges. Our next conference will be held:

MarTech 2021: March 16-17

MarTech 2021: Sept. 14-15

MarTech 2020: Watch On-Demand

×

Attend MarTech - Click Here


Learn More About Our MarTech Events

White Papers

  • The State of Local Marketing Report 2020-2021
  • Quality CRM Data: The Key to Delivering Great Customer Experiences
  • How the Microsoft Search Network Can Maximize Your Search Campaigns
  • The Marketer’s Playbook for Customer Acquisition
  • How To Optimize SEO With UGC
See More Whitepapers

Webinars

  • How to Avoid the Digital Transformation Trap
  • How to Build a Marketing System of Record
  • Meet BIMI: The brand-boosting email security marketers must have for 2021
See More Webinars

Research Reports

  • Local Marketing Solutions for Multi-Location Businesses
  • Enterprise Digital Asset Management Platforms
  • Identity Resolution Platforms
  • Customer Data Platforms
  • B2B Marketing Automation Platforms
  • Call Analytics Platforms
See More Research

h
Receive daily search news and analysis.
Search Engine Land
Download the Search Engine Land App on iTunes Download the Search Engine Land App on Google Play

Channels

  • SEO
  • SEM
  • Local
  • Retail
  • Google
  • Bing
  • Social

Our Events

  • SMX
  • MarTech

Resources

  • White Papers
  • Research
  • Webinars
  • Search Marketing Expo
  • MarTech Conference

About

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Marketing Opportunities
  • Staff
  • Connect With Us

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Newsletters
  • Instagram
  • RSS
  • Youtube
  • iOS App
  • Google Play

© 2021 Third Door Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

Your privacy means the world to us. We share your personal information only when you give us explicit permission to do so, and confirm we have your permission each time. Learn more by viewing our privacy policy.Ok