Almost 10 years after the iPhone, marketers still not meeting mobile expectations

Nearly a decade after the introduction of the iPhone, one still hears conference speakers make the same tired “year of mobile” joke. But maybe that’s appropriate because so many brands are still not meeting consumers’ mobile expectations.

That’s according to new survey data from Sitecore Mobile. The company surveyed 450 marketing decision-makers and more than 4,500 consumers globally and compared many of their responses to the same questions.

Sitecore reports that 61 percent of the marketers surveyed claimed to have mobile-optimized websites, while 42 percent said they also had mobile apps. Just under 30 percent (on average) of digital marketing budgets were being spent on mobile, according to the data.

The charts below compare consumer and marketer responses to questions about the mobile user experience and how well brands are doing. It’s very interesting to contrast the consumer and marketer responses.

While most of the responses are directionally consistent, there are key areas of difference. These consumers placed less emphasis on design/functionality, personalization, social capabilities and continuity between the PC and mobile presence than marketers did. More importantly, the brands appear confident that they’re meeting mobile expectations, compared with consumer respondents, who say they largely are not.

The survey then asked consumers, “When your expectations are not being completely met by brands, what action would you take as a result?” A third of them said they would never buy from the brand again.

1. I would make a complaint to customer service — 45 percent.

2. I would purchase from an alternative brand on this occasion but might still purchase from the original brand in the future — 39 percent.

3. I would never purchase from the brand again — 33 percent.

4. I would request compensation (e.g., discounts, freebies, etc.) — 32 percent.

5. I would inform others of my experiences and warn them off using the same brand — 27 percent.

6. I would contact the brand via social media channels (e.g., Twitter) to express my dissatisfaction — 13 percent.

7. I would take no action and make the purchase anyway — 7 percent.