by Paul Skeldon, Internet Retailer (excerpt)

Never doubt the power of mobile: if you fail to meet consumers ever-growing expectations they are going to bite you. So finds a global study of 4500 consumers in 11 countries that suggests that if a shopper doesn’t immediately like the consumer experience with your mobile service, as many as a third won’t purchase from you again. Ever.

Alternatively, when a good mobile experience is achieved, 76% report that it has an influence on their loyalty to a brand, says the study from Sitecore and Vanson Bourne.

Six in ten consumers do not feel that their mobile experience expectations are completely met. Three top areas of concern include user experience where only 24% are completely satisfied, only 23% feel that there is continuity between the mobile and web experiences, and just 21% think they are getting adequate customer service.

The research reveals that brands need to be able to build trust more quickly with consumers, where they are reassured about security, convenience and speed, and by helping consumers understand the importance of secure logins, strong passwords, and features like auto-logout, and so on.

While the research confirms brands need to focus on improving mobile experiences in real time, brands must also implement a flexible strategy and anticipate consumer expectations to evolve over time. Two-thirds of those surveyed admitted their expectations and requirements as a customer will change within the next three years.

“The number of customers consuming content on their mobile devices has grown 41 percent compared to just one percent on the desktop,” explains Scott Anderson, CMO, Sitecore. “The Vanson Bourne research reveals vast unmet consumer expectations and a very real need, in terms of loyalty and sales, for businesses to close the gap between consumer expectations and what brands deliver today.”

“People expect businesses to design a thoughtful mobile experience that helps them go through their journey. They want businesses to understand their intent and design content, paths, and outcomes that align with the context of each moment of truth. They don’t want generic click paths, 1990’s websites, marketing-speak, gimmicks, or friction,” adds Brian Solis, analyst and author of the Sitecore ebook, Mobile is Eating the World.