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The Micro-Moments: what are they and how to intercept them

Customer Journey

Micro-Moments are the moments when people meet brands at touchpoints, those building blocks that make up Customer Journeys in the Sea of Micro-Moments.

Modern consumers use the internet and digital devices to find immediate answers to any doubt, in a journey that unfolds across multiple different channels.

Micro-Moments are precisely the occasions when people turn to the web, impatiently, expressing selfish “I want” statements.

In this article, we analyze in detail the concept of micro-moments, through sources and research that can help us deeply understand how to successfully shape Customer Journeys.

I assure you that, even if you are already a passionate marketer who knows micro-moments well, you will find interesting material.

We will see that there are not only the Micro-Moments “I want to know”, “I want to go”, “I want to do” and “I want to buy”, as often repeated in all the same articles; above all, we will see how brands can intercept these moments to create effective touchpoints and build a successful Sand-Mill in the Sea of Micro-Moments.

Table of Contents

L'origine dei Micro-Momenti

Google nel 2015, analizzando l'incredibile mole di insights e dati sui comportamenti dei consumatori di cui è in possesso, fa un grande passo avanti nella comprensione di come l'avvento del digitale nella nostra vita abbia influito sul "viaggio" del consumatore, aumentandone esponenzialmente la complessità.

So, through a white paper, it illustrates how the Customer Journey is irreversibly changed under the influence of mobile: following the explosion of smartphone usage (now controlled by users more than 200 times a day) new purchase paths have taken shape, characterized by the ability to access Internet ubiquitously and instantaneously.

The idea matures that the ZMOT is no longer a single stage placed in an ordered and circular sequence of events, but it emerges that in the current landscape the "moments of truth" have multiplied immensely, fragmenting the customer journey into a series of brief user interactions with their smartphones.

These multiple moments of truth are called Micro-Moments and are defined by Google as "high-intent moments when decisions are made and preferences formed" (Google, 2015).

In micro-moments, users reflexively turn to a device (generally and increasingly to their smartphone) to meet a specific need of learning something, doing something, discovering, watching or buying something; these instants are part of the daily life of users who are open to brand communication as long as it is useful in helping them make a decision.

During these moments, consumer expectations are higher than ever. What makes them special is precisely the fact that they are “high-intent”: people in a micro-moment want to know something and they want to know it immediately.

Providing this information allows you to connect with them in a way completely different from that determined by traditional advertising touchpoints (focused on broadcasting logic and push strategies), consisting of unsolicited messages often unwelcome by consumers who, in response, raise psychological and emotional barriers, closing the doors of attention.

In micro-moments, users offer their attention and, by reciprocating them with exactly the information they are seeking, brands have the opportunity to capture it in a much more effective way.

Each micro-moment can be considered a critical touch-point for the Customer Journey and it is the sum of each of them that determines the outcome of the journey.

In this new context, relevance is key: today's users are not driven by blind loyalty towards brands, but are rather ready to leave well-known companies if they discover new ones capable of providing them with the most relevant information and satisfying their needs more quickly.

Thanks to smartphones, every step of the Customer Journey is taken through an iterative mechanism of questions and "answers," which accumulate gradually in the buyer's overall informative baggage, often taking advantage of downtime and "residual times" to increase it (Brambilla and Diegoli, 2016).

The Macro-Categories of Micro-Moments

Google identifies four main macro-categories of micro-moments, which allow us to frame them as a sequence of “I want” (Google, 2015):

“I-Want-to-Know”

Falling into the category of “I-Want-to-Know” are exploratory queries, sparks of curiosity consisting in the search for more or less specific information on a topic of interest. These are micro-moments in which the user seeks information useful to solve their own need, without necessarily wanting to buy something, but by asking micro-questions. They are generally concentrated at the beginning of the Customer Journey, but can occur throughout its course and even in the post-purchase phase.

“I-Want-to-Do”

“I-Want-to-Do” is a category that describes the moments when users need help in carrying out a task, or are looking for inspiration to try something new.
The portability of smartphones means that 91% of users turn to mobile search to find ideas and guides on how to do something specific (Google, 2015), resulting in this type of need being closely related to the nature of "helper" that people attribute to mobile devices (Brambilla and Diegoli, 2016).

"How-to" guide videos are among the most watched on YouTube, as video proves to be one of the most suitable tools for fulfilling this illustrative task. Being useful and helpful in this category of moments is a unique opportunity to connect with users, especially in order to improve awareness, brand identity, and positioning. Consumers conduct searches of this kind both before purchase (to convince themselves about the product's functioning) and immediately after, to receive help in setting up and using it effectively.

“I-Want-to-Go”

Those “I-Want-to-Go” are micro-moments in which the user expresses the intention of a physical movement.

It is interesting to note that Google data highlight how most local searches are done via smartphones, and a large part of smartphone searches are local (Brambilla and Diegoli, 2016). In fact, since mobile devices are equipped with geolocation sensors, local searches help people locate stores, restaurants, and attractions near the user or in a specific location.

Generally they occur in rather advanced stages of the path-to-purchase, where purchase intentions are stronger and more evident.

“I-Want-to-Buy”

So we come to the micro-moments “I-Want-to-Buy”.
These represent a scenario in which the intention to purchase is already clear and the user only needs further help to decide exactly what to buy or where to buy it.

This category includes specific product/service information searches, price comparisons of competing products or alternative sales channels, reading reviews, and searching for deals.

They focus towards the end of the Customer Journey and can also occur in-store, just before making the purchase; the ubiquity of the mobile device and its characterization as a personal shopping assistant make it the key that enables omnichannel: ignoring its influence in modern Customer Journeys can be a serious mistake.

I consider it useful to add to the macro-categories presented by Google a further typology of micro-moment, identified by Brambilla and Diegoli in the book Mobile Marketing (2016):

I-Want-to-Be-Entertained

The macro-category "I-Want-to-Be-Entertained" includes the micro-moments when people do not have a specific need to know, do, go, or buy something; however, they still turn to their smartphone for a simple reason: to overcome boredom. These are cases in which users dedicate time to recreational activities (such as games), social interactions (like chats and social networks), and multimedia consumption (such as videos and music), using the smartphone as a filler for any idle moment.

Mobile devices make leisure micro-moments always at hand, whether you are on the move or at home; not only that: often in today's world there can be an overlap of screens used simultaneously, so that today's users (millennials in particular) often find themselves scrolling through the news feed of social networks while sitting on the couch watching TV (an instrument that before the mobile era represented the main entertainment vehicle).

And as for television advertising, which exists to reach consumers through the channel they traditionally turned to for entertainment, it is natural that today brands adapt and are ready to fit into modern entertainment streams.

Between this and the micro-moments presented by Google, a substantial difference should be noted: while when consumers turn to search engines they already perceive a need and know (at least in part) what they are looking for, in entertainment micro-moments brands can put the user in the position of discover objects, content or ideas that one has not deliberately chosen to see (Brambilla and Diegoli, 2016).

For this reason, considering such interaction opportunities in one's strategy can be extremely effective both in the initial phases of the Customer Journey and in the subsequent ones thanks to possible re-targeting activities (a form of online advertising that consists of proposing a product or service to those who had already viewed it on the brand's website without completing the purchase).

Examples of Micro-Moments

What we have described so far are only the macro-categories that describe micro-moments.

The micro-moments are unique for each individual.
Each company, in every sector, can identify micro-categories that express users' search intent in different stages of their Customer Journey. Identifying them will allow you to identify the moments that matter in the company-customer relationship, great opportunities for building a Sand-Mill in the Sea of Micro-Moments. This video explains some examples of micro-categories. A Google study (Think with Google, 2016) analyzes how mobile has truly revolutionized consumers' shopping experience from an omnichannel perspective and goes into detail by identifying three micro-moments, defined as "Shopping Micro-moments," all part of the macro-category "I-want-to-Buy". They occur when people perceive the need or desire to purchase a product and begin searching for ideas about it, evaluate the best alternative, and finally choose exactly what to buy and where. In detail, it consists of: 1 - “I-need-some-ideas moments”: micro-moments that occur when people have a general knowledge of the product category they are interested in, but have not yet identified and chosen the exact product. 2 - “Which-one’s-best moments”: these are consideration moments that happen when people engage in short bursts of activity on their smartphones to compare prices, brands, specifications, and read product reviews from reliable sources. 3 - “I-want-to-buy-it moments”: occur when the research has already been done and it's decision time. People make the final choice between which brand to purchase and/or from which retailer to make the purchase (and therefore whether to do it online or in-store). Finally, another study focusing on micro-moments that characterize the Shopper Journey of consumer electronics products (Think with Google, 2017), introduces an additional relevant micro-moment, attributable to the macro-category "I-want-to-do": 4 – "How-do-I-fix-it moment: occurs when consumers turn to search engines to find guides and tips to solve any type of issues that may arise during the installation or use of any electronic device. Consumers expect brands to follow them even in the post-purchase phases, if necessary. Each micro-moment contributes to the overall creation of User Experience. According to Google, they are the new battleground for brands, representing the occasions in which they challenge each other, competing for the true scarce resource of this era: customer attention. <h2></h2> <h2>Getting attention in micro-moments</h2> To win the challenge of approaching consumers in their fragmented shopping paths, there are three imperatives (Google, 2015): <ul> <li>Be there: Be there! At the right moment and place. When a user turns to their smartphone with a question, they want to find an answer; for this reason, we must understand what questions (in a broad sense) our potential customers might ask themselves in different stages of the Customer Journey and identify the brand's coverage, that is how it is positioned compared to the competition in different phases, contexts, and situations.</li> <li>Be useful: Being present is just the beginning, to attract the consumer, the content we offer must also be useful in solving their specific need. It is essential that the content offered is relevant both geographically and in terms of the Journey stage. It is important to keep in mind that meeting user needs does not mean advertising your product, but it is essential to help before selling: by offering practical and immediate utility, the company can establish a relationship with the user (Brambilla and Diegoli, 2016).</li> </ul> <li>Be quick: the limited temporal dimension intrinsic in the nature of each micro-moment represents the space within which the need expressed by the user must be satisfied. Delays in page loading and overly verbose texts can frustrate consumers who may find it more useful to turn to a competitor. For this reason, it is essential to use fluid and intuitive interfaces, eliminating unnecessary steps and striving to proactively help the user complete tasks.</li>  <h2>Conclusion</h2> In conclusion, to approach fragmented and increasingly complex purchasing paths correctly, it is necessary to connect the different touch-points through which consumers move smoothly: in today's world, the path that leads a potential customer to finalize a purchase generates a sense of Positive engagement when it is smooth and consistent in transitioning between different screens, platforms, and channels used. A constant integrated analysis of data from all platforms directly and indirectly controlled by the company will be essential to obtain an overview on which to study the market and build effective strategies. Mobile, in this perspective, has taken on increasing relevance as the tool that allows connection between what is online and what is offline, enabling active dialogue between brands and consumers. Developing marketing strategies optimized for mobile devices allows brands to access a broad and ever-expanding active and receptive audience. Once we understand what Micro-Moments are, we can finally grasp what the <a href="/">Sea of Micro-Moments</a> is. <h2>Sources </h2> Brambilla, M., Diegoli, G. (2016). <a href="https://amzn.to/3FPEmIt">Mobile marketing: new relationships, new customers</a>.  Google (2015). <a href="https://think.storage.googleapis.com/images/micromoments-guide-to-winning-shift-to-mobile-download.pdf">Micro-moments: Your guide to winning the shift to mobile.</a> Think with Google (2015). <a href="https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/advertising-channels/mobile-marketing/second-screen-searches-crucial-i-want-to-know-moments-for-brands/">Second-Screen Searches: Crucial I-Want-to-Know Moments for Brands.</a> Think with Google (2016). <a href="https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/marketing-resources/micro-moments/mobile-shoppers-consumer-decision-journey/">How mobile has redefined the consumer decision journey for shoppers.</a> Think with Google (2017). <a href="https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/marketing-resources/micro-moments/consumer-electronics-shopping-micro-moments/">Winning the consumer electronics shopping moments that matter.</a> Think with Google (2017b). <a href="https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/consumer-insights/consumer-mobile-search-buying-behavior/">Micro-Moments Now: Why you should be the adviser consumers are searching for.</a>

Uno studio di Google (Think with Google, 2016) analizza come il mobile abbia effettivamente rivoluzionato l’esperienza di shopping dei consumatori in ottica omnicanale e scende nel dettaglio identificando tre micro-momenti, definiti come “Shopping Micro-moments”, tutti facenti parte della macro-categoria “I-want-to-Buy”.

Si verificano quando le persone percepiscono il bisogno o il desiderio di acquistare un prodotto e iniziano a cercare idee a riguardo, valutano l’alternativa migliore ed infine scelgono esattamente cosa comprare e dove. Nel dettaglio si tratta di:

1 – “I-need-some-ideas moments”: micro-moments that occur when people have a general knowledge of the product category they are interested in, but have not yet identified and chosen the exact product.

2 – “Which-one’s-best moments”: these are consideration moments that happen when people engage in short bursts of activity on their smartphones to compare prices, brands, specifications, and read product reviews from reliable sources.

3 – “I-want-to-buy-it moments”: occur when the research has already been done and it's decision time. People make the final choice between which brand to buy and/or from which retailer to make the purchase (and therefore whether to do it online or in-store).

Finally, another study focusing on the micro-moments that characterize the Shopper Journey of consumer electronics products (Think with Google, 2017) introduces an additional relevant micro-moment, attributable to the macro-category "I-want-to-do":

4 – "How-do-I-fix-it moment": occurs when consumers turn to search engines to find guides and tips to solve any type of issues that may arise during the installation or use of any electronic device. Consumers expect brands to support them even in the post-purchase phases, if necessary.

Each micro-moment contributes to the overall creation of User Experience.

According to Google, they are the new battlefield for brands, representing the opportunities in which they challenge each other, competing for the true scarce resource of this era: customer attention.

Getting attention in micro-moments

To win the challenge, approaching consumers in their fragmented purchasing paths, there are three imperatives (Google, 2015):

Be there: Be there! In the right moment and place. When a user turns to their smartphone with a question, they want to find an answer; for this reason, we must understand what questions (in a broad sense) our potential customers might have in different phases of the Customer Journey and identify what is the brand coverage, that is how it is positioned compared to the competition in different phases, contexts, and situations.
Be useful: Being present is just the beginning, to attract the consumer to oneself, the content we offer must also be useful to solve their specific need. It is essential that the offered content is relevant, both in terms of geographical context and stage of the Journey. It is important to keep in mind that meeting the user's needs does not mean advertising one's product, but it is essential to help before selling: by offering practical and immediate utility, the company can establish a relationship with the user (Brambilla and Diegoli, 2016).
Be quick: the limited temporal dimension intrinsic in the nature of each micro-moment represents the space within which the need expressed by the user must be satisfied. Delays in page loading and overly verbose texts can frustrate consumers who may find it more useful to turn to a competitor. For this reason, it is essential to use fluid and intuitive interfaces, eliminating unnecessary steps and striving to help the user proactively complete tasks.

Conclusion

In conclusion, to approach fragmented and increasingly complex purchasing paths correctly, it is necessary to connect the different touchpoints through which consumers move smoothly: in today's world, the path that leads a potential customer to finalize a purchase generates a feeling of Positive engagement when it is smooth and consistent in transitioning between different screens, platforms, and channels used.

A constant integrated analysis of data from all platforms directly and indirectly controlled by the company will be essential to obtain an overview on which to study the market and build effective strategies.

In this perspective, mobile has become increasingly important as it is the tool that allows connection between what is online and what is offline, enabling active dialogue between brands and consumers. Developing marketing strategies optimized for mobile devices allows brands to access a large and constantly expanding active and receptive audience.

Once we understand what Micro-Moments are, we can finally understand what the Sea of Micro-Moments is.