It’s funny how quickly life can pass by – but according to Google, it’s not the time that we should be taking notice of. It’s the moments.

The company recently posted a lengthy article on its Think With Google page explaining the power of the moment. “Mobile has forever changed the way we live, and it’s forever changed what we expect of brands,” it explains in the article. “It’s fractured the consumer journey into hundreds of real-time, intent-driven micro-moments. Each one is a critical opportunity for brands to shape our decisions and preferences.”

The video below opens the article, which then breaks down into a number of statistics and side stories, explaining what can happen in one of these micro-moments.

Among the statistics reported, there’s a lot for companies to learn…

  • 82 percent of smartphone users turn to their phone to influence a purchase decision while in a store. This is highlighted with Giana’s story below, where she conducts a search on what medicine is best for a sore.
  • 62 percent of smartphone users are more likely to take action right away towards solving an unexpected problem or new task because they have a smartphone. Cathy’s story, where she talks about replacing a broken dish.
  • 90 percent of smartphone users have used their phone to make progress toward a long-term goal or multi-step process while “out and about”. Marlhon’s story, seen below, how people pursue big goals in small moments.
  • 91 percent of smartphone users turn to their phone for ideas while doing a given task. Mabel’s story explains how people try new things in routine moments.

Google also provided five unique ideas when it comes to making these moments happen – and companies may want to make note.

  1. Make a moments map. Identify a set of moments you want to win or can’t afford to lose. Examine all phases of the consumer journey to map moments when people want to find inspiration, learn about your products, make a quick purchase, or anything in between.
  2. Understand customer needs in-the-moment. For each moment you want to win, put yourself in the consumer’s shoes. Ask “What would make this easier or faster What content or features would be most helpful for this moment ”
  3. Use context to deliver the right experience. Leverage contextual signals like location and time of day to deliver experiences and messages that feel tailor-made for the moment. For example, let customers searching nearby your stores know when the products they’re looking for are in-stock or available for pickup in-store.
  4. Optimize across the journey. People move seamlessly across screens and channels. Does your brand deliver seamlessly in return Don’t let competing objectives or department silos stand in the way. To account for today’s complex, fractured journeys, anchor completely on the consumer and organize around moments.
  5. Measure every moment that matters. You cannot afford to under-serve your customers while you’re dealing with measurement gaps. While the return on investment for certain moments may not yet be directly measurable, train your team to use credible estimates to ensure nothing’s falling through the cracks.