THE MOBILE TRANSFORMATION • JULY 2015

Industry data from WeddingWire

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INTRODUCTIONThe WedInsights Series is designed to provide wedding professionals with relevant consumer and business insights. Each month, we’ll focus on a particular topic – drawing on data from consumer behaviors and opinions, and provide actionable insights for your business.

In this report, we focus on The Mobile Transformation and offer insights into questions such as: • How have mobile behaviors changed in the last few years? • What are couples doing on mobile during the planning process? • When are couples most likely to use their mobile devices? • How important are mobile-friendly websites to business owners?

In order to provide the most relevant and up-to-date data, WeddingWire conducts a variety of research throughout the year with more than 50,000 wedding professionals, engaged and newlywed couples across the country. Together with behavioral data analyzed by our dedicated team of data scientists, we’re able to calculate overall estimates which we present throughout this report.

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NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR OF MARKET INSIGHTS:

“Today more Internet searches are being done on mobile devices than desktops - and we see brides and grooms doing the same! They are using their smartphones and tablets to check out florists in their area, purchase favors and communicate with all their wedding professionals. With the increase in mobile adoption, we’ve also seen an increase in consumer expectations about the mobile experience. Consumers want to find information on mobile websites and apps that is fast and easy: fast load times, optimized sites (meaning the website will automatically resize to fit the dimensions of the digital screen they are using) and an ability to zoom into pictures as needed. Poor experiences with any of the above could result in a lost opportunity. We want all wedding professionals to have the best chance of making a great first impression - and that means delivering a positive mobile experience!”

Andy WhittakerDirector of Market InsightsWeddingWire

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ON HOW MOBILE DEVICES HAVE TRANSFORMED

SOCIETY’S BEHAVIOR

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EXPONENTIAL GROWTH OF USERS RELYING ON SMARTPHONES TO GET INFO

• According to a recent study, people searching for businesses using a mobile device has gone up 500% in the last 2 years.2

• As social media channels continue to increase in popularity, so does their mobile engagement. In fact, 77% of couples use their smartphone to follow along with social media - making it a perfect place for vendors to engage with prospective clients.

• Mobile devices are also used to gather and record information first hand. When visiting a wedding professional for a tour or meeting, 60% of couples say they take photos with their phone and 13% post an update on social media.

“ I use my smartphone for mainly photo inspiration. I dedicate a small amount of time at night (after work, of course!) to browse through my Pinterest app.”- Caitlin K., Maryland

MILLENNIALS ARE PROGRAMMED TO THINK MOBILE

• Smartphones have significantly changed consumer behavior and their impact on the wedding industry is no exception. Roughly 90% of U.S. adults between the age 25-34 own a smartphone1, meaning that the majority of engaged couples (average age of first-time newlyweds 28) are active on mobile devices.

• The average adult spends approximately 6 hours per day consuming digital media (across all online and mobile devices). This is a 100% increase in the past 5 years.

• Today, more people search the Internet from a mobile device (phone or tablet) then all desktops and laptops combined, further demonstrating the shift towards a mobile-driven society.

Source: Morgan Stanley Research

MOBILE INTERNET USERS VS. DESKTOP USERS

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TOP MOBILE ACTIVITIES INCLUDE BROWSING AND MAKING LOW-RISK DECISIONS

• Each week, couples spend over 30% of their time planning their wedding from a mobile or tablet device. This equates to approximately 40 minutes each day.

• What exactly are couples searching for? Below you’ll find the most common organic wedding-related searches from couples using their mobile devices:

WEDDING CHECKLIST WEDDING PLANNER WEDDING PLANNING WEDDING COLORS

WEDDING THEMES WEDDING WEBSITE WEDDING VENUES WEDDING BUDGET

• About half of engaged couples use their mobile devices specifically to search for wedding vendors; that’s an 11% increase in just the last year.

• 1 in 4 couples use at least 2 apps for wedding planning. The majority of couples are downloading inspirational and organizational apps to help with the planning process.

• Couples are less likely to use their smartphones for wedding tasks that are unfamiliar or seem “risky” to do away from their desktops, such as designing invitations, making big purchases or booking travel. Think about ways to engage your customers and promote your brand by providing information that meets their comfort level on mobile devices (e.g., providing contact information or inspiring imagery).

HOW ONLINE ACTIONS, EXPECTATIONS AND SEARCH DIFFER ON MOBILE

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TYPES OF APPS COUPLES DOWNLOAD

Source: WeddingWire Mobile App Behavior & Predictions Research Q1 // 2015

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FINDING INSPIRATION FINDING AND MANAGING VENDORS CONNECTING WITH OTHER COUPLES

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COUPLES EXPECT A MOBILE-OPTIMIZED SITE WHEN PLANNING ON THEIR SMARTPHONES

• 80% of visitors leave a mobile site due to a bad experience (e.g., website isn’t mobile-friendly, information is hard to find). These poor experiences might be helping your competition as 61% of mobile users say they are likely to visit another site when they don’t find the information they’re looking for right away.3

• Whether you realize it or not, your mobile site impacts your businesses’ reputation. Approximately 50% of mobile users say a bad mobile experience makes them less likely to engage with a company and gives the perception that the company does not care

MOBILE PLANNING PEAKS DURING THE EVENING HOURS

• When looking at online planning behaviors based on time of day, mobile usage peaks from 8 - 10PM after couples are home from work.

Since most wedding professionals are unavailable to talk at this time, be sure your mobile presence conveys the key information couples are searching for (like pricing, services you provide, reviews and availability) so that you’re not missing out on potential clients.

• Couples are most likely to use their smartphones or tablets devices for wedding planning tasks on Sunday and Monday evenings.

“I hated having to magnify tiny text on websites that weren’t mobile friendly. Magnifying usually cuts off other vital information making me miss it completely… Also, if their contact information wasn’t easy to find, I never called them.”

- Kyle M., Washington D.C.

HOW ONLINE ACTIONS, EXPECTATIONS AND SEARCH DIFFER ON MOBILE (cont.)

“I find myself browsing for table settings, hairstyles, and guest bags any time that I have a free minute. Using my smartphone has made wedding planning even possible while trying to ‘fall asleep’ in bed at night!” - Katie B., Florida

Source: WeddingWire WeddingWire Newlywed Survey // 2014 / 2015

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ALL DEVICESDESKTOPSMARTPHONE/TABLET

ONLINE PLANNING BASED ON TIME OF DAY

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SMARTPHONES BECOME AN EXTENSION OF THE OFFICE FOR PROS ON-THE-GO

• 79% of wedding professionals rely on their smartphone to help manage their business while on the move. While there are a number of operating systems, iOS is preferred among pros as 64% own an iPhone.

• According to a recent survey, 75% of vendors said a mobile device is critical to how they do business.

• In fact, 53% of professionals spend between 1-3 hours per day on their smartphone doing work related tasks, such as browsing the internet, responding to emails, using apps and making calls.

• Wedding professionals have on average 3-4 apps on their smartphone to help manage their business. Social media apps such as Facebook and Instagram, Square and Google Calendar are a few that top the chart.

MOBILE-FRIENDLY WEBSITES ARE KEY TO SUCCESS

• Approximately 80% of wedding professionals say they have a mobile-friendly business website.

• Due to the importance of having a strong mobile presence, creating a new mobile-optimized website was one of the most essential business initiatives in 2014 for most professionals - specifically Florists, DJs and Wedding Planners.

• When creating a website, businesses should always think smartphone first, then translate up to tablet and then desktop. A good mobile experience can improve conversion rates and drive revenue.

HOW PROFESSIONALS USE MOBILE FOR SUCCESS

“We relaunched our site to make it mobile responsive. We saw that 60% of our traffic was coming from mobile. Even if couples don’t make a purchase decision right away on their phones, they will most likely check out your site for the first time from a phone. Definitely want to make that first impression a fabulous one!” - WeddingMix by Storymix, Videography, Chicago

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External Sources : 1 Neilsen, Q3 2014 | 2 Google, Q3 2014 | 3 Google: Mobile Playbook , 2013 |4 Google: Mobile Playbook, 2013

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A mobile-friendly website is no longer a nice-to-have but instead a must-have for conducting business in the wedding industry. More than ever, couples are using their smartphones at all hours of the day to keep the planning process moving along, from searching for vendors to finding inspiration. Your mobile website might be the first and only impression a couples sees of your business, so make sure your site provides a good user experience and highlights important information that turns a prospective client into a booking!

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR WEDDING PROFESSIONALS

Key Take Aways:

For questions or to submit a future topic suggestion, please email wedinsights@weddingwire.com.

Understand how your customers interact with your mobile siteWhile all businesses need to have a strong mobile presence, it’s important to recognize if the product or service you provide is better suited for a desktop or mobile interaction and adjust content accordingly. While a couple might not create their wedding invitation on a mobile device, they will certainly be browsing for design inspiration. Think about what is most valuable to your mobile clients and how you can deliver a great experience, while highlighting the most meaningful content. A good mobile experience does not need to replicate your website, but should offer up content that makes prospective clients want to take the next step (whether that’s making a purchase, sending an inquiry or getting directions to your shop).

Mobile optimization is essentialGone are the days when a business could get away with displaying their desktop UI on mobile. The moment a prospect needs to magnify text on their smartphone, you’ve lost a client - and if they’re willing to stick around, you’re certainly not providing the amazing experience your brand deserves. If you don’t have a responsive website, meaning that the content on each page adjusts to the device it’s being used on, consider these 5 tips for optimizing your website for mobile users: 1. Keep your color palette and branding consistent 2. Stick with a simple layout and avoid using several pages 3. Resize your font to be mobile friendly… same goes for images! 4. Reduce the amount of text displayed 5. Use large touchable buttons for calls-to-action (ex. contact button)

Prospective clients have come to expect information 24x7Today’s society is accustomed to instant gratification and the same holds true for the wedding planning process. Smartphones allow couples to search for information during their commute, while at the gym and even at 2am; therefore, it’s important to provide the content they’re searching for when you have their attention. If a couple can’t find the information they’re looking for on your site, they’ll quickly move on to the next.

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