The first call from a handheld mobile phone was made in 1973. Since then, mobile technology has advanced in leaps and bounds. 4G LTE-A networks are now being activated across the world, enabling download speeds of over 160mbps to satisfy the needs of increasingly data-hungry consumers. This represents a huge opportunity for businesses but also makes it easy to forget what the mobile phone was originally designed for - making calls.
In an age of apps, mobile social media and geo-location data, the call function can seem peripheral on a smartphone, especially when browsing the web. Yet our new research finds that 94% of UK smartphone users need to call a business directly at some point when searching for information on their phone, and a third need to do so regularly, showing there’s a clear opportunity for businesses to profit by using the click-to-call button, which links consumers directly to a business from mobile search via a phone call.
In fact, this feature has been used by almost half of UK smartphone users. The most frequently given reason for using it is needing to talk to a real person, closely following by wanting answers more quickly and needing more information than a website could provide. The average call from this function lasts six minutes and 48% of mobile searchers find it extremely important to be able to call the business when they are about to make a purchase. This shows the value consumers continue to place on human contact in the path to purchase.
A good example of click-to-call in action comes from non-surgical skin treatments provider, sk:n. The business found that click-to-call enabled mobile campaigns raised its conversion rates by 26 times and increased calls by 42%. This result echoes recent Google Adwords research, which shows click-to-call can lead to increases in average ad click-through rate by 8%.
With this in mind, businesses that do not offer click-to-call risk damaging their brand image and losing customers. We found that 36% of mobile searchers would be more likely to explore other brands if click-to-call was not offered, 32% would feel frustrated or annoyed and 30% would be disappointed in the brand.
Moreover, for businesses that haven’t yet built a responsive or mobile site, click-to-call is a great way to ensure consumers can still reach a business easily, showing that mobile advertising doesn’t just have to be for the mobile-ready.
In summary, even with the multitude of channels available to customers today to explore and purchase products and services, businesses shouldn’t underestimate the power of a simple phone call to convert browsers into buyers. So don’t forget that consumers really do want to talk to your business at the touch of a button.
By Matt Brocklehurst, Product Marketing Manager at Google.
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