Users can’t buy what they can’t find – and they will lose interest (or patience) with each additional click. It’s a rule of thumb in the mobile space that has fuelled interest in mobile search and more recently on-device portals (ODPs) – technologies capable of taking the pain out of finding and accessing content. But is there really a need for mobile search and discovery schemes? Doubters should dive into a new benchmark report on mobile portal accessibility published by Strategy Analytics. The research, which evaluated the portal experience offered by “leading network operator providers” (not clear which ones) in the U.S., is a frightening mix of good and bad news.
Strategy Analytics concludes that Sprint has the best in class U.S. operator portal, marginally ahead of Verizon Wireless. But a closer look into the findings shows that the best in class mobile portal still required an incredible (!) 17 clicks to buy a game. If that’s not bad enough, the total number of clicks required to buy music ranged from 18 to 39. (No details on which portals these are..)
In addition, Cingular/AT&T scored lowest on portal discoverability and Helio was found to perform well on portal discovery but was rated poorly for its UI. David Kerr, VP of the Global Wireless Practice, noted: “Users considered Cingular/AT&T’s portal poorly organized and difficult to navigate. No participant, for example, could locate MobiTV on the Cingular portal without assistance.”
These are findings that should have alarm bells ringing at every operator in the U.S. Even the best in class operators have no reason to break out the champagne if they can only manage to deliver content within 17 clicks. (I shouldn’t be too harsh; the situation in Europe is not much better. I’ve collected stats, data and my own benchmarking research in this white paper.) Can mobile search solve this dilemma? Well, it can help users find what they already know they want, but it won’t go far in encouraging the all-important impulse buy. That’s where personalized mobile search (that can suggest content based on past queries), recommendation engines and ODPs will come in.