As a business concept, we’ve talked about digital transformation for the better part of a decade. But in 2020, digital transformation as we know it barreled ahead at a dizzying pace—causing product and marketing teams to make fast, learn-as-you-go decisions impacting billions of dollars. Due to stay-at-home orders enacted across the globe in response to COVID-19, the mobile channel has seen particularly extreme changes in how companies leverage it to support their broader business goals.
To explore what’s changed and what’s next for the future of digital transformation, with an emphasis on the mobile channel, we talked with some of the best minds in digital product and marketing. We’re excited to share their thoughts on what’s top-of-mind, how to overcome obstacles, where the marketplace is going, and tips for success.
Today, we’re excited to bring you thoughts from Igal Stolpner is the Growth Advisor of Investing.com, where he worked as the VP of Growth for over a decade. Today, Igal’s department runs Investing.com’s international SEO, growth and analytics, ASO, social media, email marketing, and PR. Igal’s experience also includes product marketing, eCommerce SEO, SEM, community management, and affiliate marketing.
Here’s what Igal had to say!
Q: What does digital transformation mean for today’s business leaders?
Digital transformation means being available where your users are. And for business leaders, especially those who run businesses that aren’t digital in the first place, this means to adapt to new technologies and channels, and do it fast. For brands, this means to be available on all types of platforms, often with all of the capabilities the business offers, all features, full support etc. Being on social media, doesn’t only mean to have a profile, but staying active, fresh, and relevant. On all platforms that are used by the relevant audience.
Mobile first is a great example for a term that quickly turned from just being a fun recommendation to an actual fact. A goal that businesses must push to. People turn to their phones for everything now, and are transitioning from their home computers or laptops for most online tasks or activities.
Q: What are the barriers that usually block the path to transformation?
Often, the barriers aren’t budget related. They might have to do with the fact that businesses simply have a hard time transitioning—especially brick and mortar businesses, or older firms with no relevant know-how. That continues to outdated technology, with no proper data infrastructure. For example, I’ve heard for the past five years that many financial firms prefer to buy advertising on desktop and not mobile web or apps, because their systems cannot track users on mobile as well as on desktop. Yes, even in 2020.
Q: What holds companies back from prioritizing their investment in mobile customer experience?
Let’s be honest for a second here: Companies that aren’t truly mobile first don’t really take mobile users seriously. They have a mobile web version because their marketing agency told them they must have one. Or they have an app for the sake of being available on the App Store or Google Play—not because they have fully integrated their services into mobile. Companies that don’t prioritize their mobile customer experience simply don’t yet see all the value mobile can bring to their business. These companies simply haven’t transformed digitally yet.
Q: What is the mobile channel’s role in digital transformation?
Now, 13 years after Steve Jobs unveiled the very first iPhone, mobile phones are a part of us. Different studies show that on average, we spend around three hours a day staring at our phones, and open them around 100 times every single day. If we put aside the negative impact of mobile phones on our mental health for a second, clearly, mobile is no longer just a channel; it’s by far the biggest component of today’s digital transformation.
Q: What’s your best tip for staying agile when implementing changes to your mobile digital transformation approach? How can teams respond quickly to what they learn?
My best tip is to constantly look around. Not only having your direct competitors’ apps installed, but looking at a variety of apps as part of a routine. See how they interact with their users, when do they ask them to review the app, how easy (or not easy) is it to get in touch, make a purchase, or complete any task. By looking at a group of apps on a regular basis, you will see things you want to implement immediately, and that will help you respond faster.
For teams to respond quickly to new things they learn, they need to have a dedicated fast lane with Dev and Product (depending on the company’s structure) to expedite specific tasks. This fast lane should only be used for top priority requests, and not on a regular basis.
Q: How do you measure success? How can you track the value of mobile strategies?
Today, everything requires an accurate date. And that means that every screen and touch point should be tracked. Building a powerful attribution model depends a lot on your company’s structure, and the data’s infrastructure. The most important thing is to specify all the touch points in a user’s journey. Every company has its goals, and the mobile strategy is just an integral part of that top level strategy. Measuring how users begin their journey, what drives them all the way towards the goal, or makes them drop it in the middle, is what will help you understand how your mobile strategy is working, or not working, for you.
A huge thank you to Igal for taking the time to share his thoughts.