"I want it now."

"I want it right, and I want it right away."

We often hear these statements with consumers being more impatient and demanding. Consumer behavior has seen a tremendous shift and hence brands need to capture the attention of customers across the entire customer journey. This behavioral change is a result of the massive dispersion of technology and increasing access to information.

What are micro-moments?

Google explains micro-moments as an intent-rich moment when a person turns to a device to act on a need – to know, go, do or buy. In short, a window of opportunity when decisions are made, and preferences are shaped. These moments occur when people turn to their devices to learn about something, to discover, watch or buy something. With the booming popularity of smartphones, it has put tremendous pressure on brands to deliver exactly what consumers are looking for and when they are looking for it.

Think with Google has defined and categorized these moments as the I want-to-know moments, I want-to-go moments, I want-to-do moments, and I want-to-buy moments - that really matter as they are turning out be game changers.

There are now hundreds of these micro moments that happen every day while customers scrolling through web pages, watching videos or sending online messages. Being present in all these moments to capture the customer's attention is a necessity for brands in the digital age.

Here's why:

According to research findings from Google, nearly 69% leisure travelers use their smartphones to look for travel ideas in their free moments. While 82% use their phones during their purchase in the super store and one in ten of those end up buying something else than what they were looking for in the first place.

Customers are no more rigid to opt for a brand with the huge spectrum of choices they have and are looking for services that interests them. Hence, whether it is a smartphone, or a computer device - a robust web content management strategy needs to be in place. Customers need to be provided with hyper-personalized content with the help of user data through out their journey. A brand needs to be there either via organic effort or a paid marketing campaign to a stand a chance in converting prospects by leveraging the micro-moments.

Mobile First Strategy

To be successful as a brand, adopting a mobile first strategy is a must, when your customers are looking for information through your websites, social media channels, ad campaign, your blogs and posts. As a brand you need to grab the attention of the users during the four micro moments as mentioned above.

Impatient customers are unable to relate to a brand that does not keep up with their needs, choices and interests. While you realize the importance of micro-moments, your strategy should be aligned to create an impact on the prospect's mind across the journey. Introduced back in 2015, the concept of micro-moments has not yet been truly leveraged by most brands and are missing out on moments that truly matter.