Optimizing the Mobile Experience via the “Mobile Session”

I have written in past posts that mobile is an interaction channel like others (call center, web, point of sale), and therefore should be viewed more strategically than an advertising delivery platform.  In this recent post, I describe how mobile commerce is possible without a connection between transaction systems and mobile marketing communications, via the “connected customer.”

While this advances the discussion toward connecting mobile marketing to sales, it doesn’t address the need to optimize the mobile customer experience across the various ways mobile permits marketers to reach their customers.  It is for this reason I am starting to think it’s datable whether mobile is completely distinct from both traditional channels and advertising methods.

In a call center, the measurable focus is the call itself, the time of day, duration, reason/topic and outcome.  Likewise, on the web it is about visit duration, path, terminating link, etc.  And at point of sale, it’s the transaction, the contents of the market basket, etc.  In mobile, the measurable unit is less identifiable as it depends on the form of interaction (text, mobile web, smartphone application or even interactive voice response).

As a “swiss army knife” of sorts, I think mobile will eventually require the concept of a “mobile session,” such that users will be identifiable units tracked either anonymously or authenticated across text interactions, mobile website browsing and smartphone application usage (or car navigation systems).  Disparate mobile technologies will need to talk to each other, at a minimum exchange “mobile session” data in such a way that the movement and activities of users are tracked among them.

This capability would surely be a powerful tool toward developing richer, higher value mobile interactions.  To create the most relevant and cohesive mobile experiences, content providers should desire this depth of insight.

You can imagine a mobile consumer interaction across text messaging/mobile email, mobile web and smartphone application as follows in a simple retail clothier example:

• BaggyPants develops a loyalty program aimed at retaining its highest value customers while also growing this base, via targeted and relevant offers.
• A multi-channel marketing campaign is initiated, directing customers to sign up for the program via text message or website.
• Those opting in are directed to redeem a discount online, then download the “SmartSizer” application.  This application allows customers to take a picture of themselves and have potential wardrobes in their probable size overlaid on their likeness.
• A mobile enabled e-commerce site is auto populated with a market basket full of their “customized” clothing order, based on current catalog item availability and pricing.
• Discounts based on customer value are redeemed at checkout.

Analyzing the activity around the individual elements can be useful, but overlaying mobile sessions across this entire mobile experience should be as much, if not more valuable.  For example:

• See conversion from text message, application downloads and basket purchases – the buy pipeline.
• Combine data gathered from application usage and product purchases to design higher yield product combinations – the “best next action.”
• Observe behavior on the mobile website, including deviances from the instant market basket purchase – market basket abandonment.

Or perhaps more interestingly, observe a real or near real-time visualization of the ideal process, with variance from the norm highlighted to see what’s happening – and make corrections to affect the outcome as the program executes.

As mobile marketing technologies advance, there is a danger of mobile suffering the fate of pre-CRM marketing; fragmented customer data and widely varying concepts of “customer.”  No doubt you will soon be hearing more about “customer centricity,” “the 360 degree customer view,” and “one version of the truth,” but within the context of mobile.