As a consumer, how much clicking have you done lately? If you’re spending more time on your iPad and less time sitting at the computer in your home office, then you’ve probably been tapping a lot more than you’ve been clicking.
PC sales are dec
lining globally, and personally I find myself using our home computer less and less. Instead, I’m sitting on the couch or at the kitchen table with my iPad. Apps allow me to browse, shop, email, chat, create content and even print wirelessly. Is this an anomaly? Or is this a leading indicator of what’s to come over the next five years? If it’s what’s to come, then companies need to pay more attention to their tablet experience strategy in addition to their smartphone strategy. Lest we forget, mobile is about tablets too and not just phones.
Shortly after the iPad came out, I recall being very disappointed in the customer experience when visiting particular websites that were heavy in Flash technology. There were big blank spots where content was supposed to be and some drop down menus didn’t work either. I wasn’t sure if I should be upset at Apple for not supporting Flash, or angry at the company for not accommodating the iPad. I was mad at both and the whole thing added up to a terrible customer experience.
However, over 50 million iPads sold later, I think the future is clear. Companies must accommodate the device if they wish to engage customers in a conversation strategy that helps them efficiently get tasks done with their business. Efficiency and time to task completion both contribute to an elevated customer experience, which in turn promotes loyalty. In our business, this means developing web callback interfaces for companies who want to better assist their tablet toting customers.
I am happy to report that a year or so into my iPad owning experience, I’m seeing some companies make changes to their website that accomodate the iPad experience. I specifically recall Ford’s website looking like a disaster on my iPad, but they’ve made changes such that it’s now a good tablet experience. If the rise of tablet computing causes consumers to consume the web differently, then we need to provide better tablet experiences if we expect to grow the e-commerce aspects of our businesses. Don’t neglect the tablet experience.
I think it’s the fault of Apple for not supporting the software. Surely it’s easier for Apple to change the software to accommodate the software rather than every single website changing the format of their web page? Having said that, I don’t think I’ve had any problems with my iPhone, which you would have thought would be the same. I use click 2 call with no problems on my iPhone