We all know it: Consumers are glued to thier mobile devices, glancing at them hundreds of times in a day, and spending almost 67 hours on apps and sites in a month. These glances — anytime you pull out your phone to do something —  are what we call "mobile moments." What could this moment be? To set an alarm. To browse Facebook. To check your email. To go to your favorite retailer's site to shop. To do seemingly anything you wish.

The meaning of these multiplying mobile moments to brands and marketers is clear: You need a mobile strategy. But what should this strategy be? How can you win in your customers' mobile moments?

To help answer this, Forrester has launched a new report: Master Your Customers' Mobile Pathways. A collaboration with Ted Schadler and Nicole Dvorak , it presents a new type of data analysis: Mobile Pathways. So, what is this data and how can you use it? Here are some key things to know:

  • What is mobile pathway analysis? Mobile pathway analysis is defined as: Charting the immediate path customers take to and from your brand's mobile moments.
  • Where does mobile pathways data come from? We’ve been tacking mobile sessions in the US and UK to learn about how people use their phones – what sites they visit, what apps they go to, and what string of actions they take in a mobile session.
  • What does mobile pathway analysis tell you? In mobile pathways analysis, we aim to help answer 5 pressing questions:
    1. Do customers visit your mobile app or mobile site? Or both?
    2. How strong is direct engagement with your brand? Did your customer go directly to your app with purpose?
    3. What did your customer do before thier visit? Were they biding time on social media sites?
    4. What did they do after their visit? Did they — cringe — head to a competitor? 
    5. How do different customers behave? Are there segment-based insights?
  • Why do you care? You need to set the right strategy to win in your customers' mobile moments. And from the conversations I have with marketers, its clear this isn't an easy task. So marketers, omnichannel strategist, mobile experience developers, media mix planners, and agencies: these insights can help shape key decisions on where to invest, the context of your customer’s brand interaction, and where to place your Awareness and Discovery bets. 

Have a mobile strategy question in mind? Stuck on an investment decision? Check out the report to see an analysis across  several verticals including some top retailers, and learn how this can help.