The New Standard of Convenience - From Anywhere

Brands are leveraging apps and social platforms to match the consumer expectation for immediate satisfaction via convenient solutions. How will this shift in digital commerce impact marketing?

leah-garnerGuest column by Leah Garner, MMI Agency

Time is a precious thing. We are always on the hunt to save, stretch and find more time. As a young professional and workaholic, I am always saying how I don’t have time for this or for that because after a long day at the office, I want to ensure that my free time is well spent.

For me, that typically doesn’t include grocery shopping. I usually end up ordering takeout or exploring the back recesses of my pantry for anything edible to avoid a trip to the supermarket. And when I do make the time to shop, I don’t always remember to pick up that one staple item I need, which is really frustrating.

Luckily, some of our favorite companies are hearing our First World problems loud and clear. They are filling our need for convenience in this fast-paced, busy world by leveraging new technologies to provide quick purchasing solutions for consumers, making sales as easy as one, two, three – or push, tap, click.

Today consumers’ expectations are driven by demands for convenience: “I want it NOW, and I don’t want to work too hard to get it.” Some exciting new technologies on the market now, from mobile apps to connected homes, are great examples of how brands are meeting consumers in the physical and emotional environment they’ve become accustomed to.

For example, the new Amazon Dash button will change the way we shop for and stock up on home necessities and non-perishables. It is an adhesive button that you can stick around your home, and is linked to your personal Amazon Prime account.

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Each button is programmed to a specific branded consumer packaged goods product. Running low on your regular items? With a simple click of this button, your order is placed and on its way to you. You will even get an alert about the delivery on your smartphone through the Amazon app.

Another Dash device that includes voice search and barcode scanner integrations is the AmazonFresh account. Users populate their AmazonFresh shopping lists and then view the list on a desktop or mobile device to purchase and schedule next-day delivery to their doorsteps. This is a serious time-saver, raising the bar for brands everywhere, going one step above shopping online to adapting the technology into consumers’ existing behaviors. They offer pure convenience and ease for consumers craving purchase simplicity.

The Domino’s Emoji ordering system also offers on-demand, in-the-moment ordering, and is creating a new standard for pizza delivery via tweet or text. Customers register their Twitter handle or opt-in with a mobile number with Domino’s. They then create a profile with their favorite pizza toppings, followed by supplying payment and delivery information. Whenever a craving for pizza strikes, hungry and time-starved users can tweet or text a pizza emoji to immediately place an order. It’s amazingly simple and takes all of about five seconds.

There are many other similar technologies that are meeting the modern consumer’s demands for instant results. Many apps on the market are designed to function as personal assistants, like the Favor app, which can deliver just about anything. Devices like Siri, Amazon Echo, and Cortana are able to provide quick answers, easy ordering, and instant music. Online shopping apps, like Wish, enable users to scroll through fashion items and easily make purchases with a single click.

The growth of these accommodating solutions is fueling even higher demand for digital convenience. Forget shopping online from your couch at your leisure; now, consumers want to order on-the-go or from anywhere, without needing a credit card in hand.

As the consumer desire for immediate satisfaction via super convenient solutions continues to grow, brands will continue seeking innovative and effective solutions which correlate with this increasing sense of urgency. Digital marketers must continue to enhance their tech development to meet this need for speed and convenience.

This change is already transforming the way people purchase, and has the potential to transform the way people live. Companies providing heightened efficiency and convenience through technology will provide consumers with more free time, enabling them to do what they really want to do, whether it’s playing with their kids or catching up on the latest Game of Thrones season.

Priorities are important, and so is making time for them!

Leah Garner is an account manager at MMI Agency in Houston.

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