With the spread of the Internet, information gathering for selecting products and services has shifted from physical stores such as stores to online sites such as search engines and SNS. In 2011, Google proposed ZMOT as a new customer decision-making model.
ZMOT is a marketing theory that states that “before customers visit a store, they have already decided which products to purchase based on information online.” This time, we will introduce ZMOT along with specific marketing measures.
What is ZMOT?
ZMOT is an abbreviation for Zero Moment of Truth.
To begin with, Moment of Truth (hereinafter referred to as MOT) literally means “moment of truth.” This refers to the short amount of time a customer spends interacting with a company through a product. MOT was proposed by Jan Karlsson, then CEO of Scandinavian Airlines in Europe, when he reviewed customer service with the aim of restructuring the company.
Mr. Carlson believed that if passengers could provide a brand experience different from that of competitors in the approximately 15 seconds they spend interacting with flight attendants when boarding an airplane, it would be possible to clearly differentiate the company. It began when the moment of contact with a customer was defined as the most important moment for a company or brand.
Google proposed ZMOT in 2011, and it is a concept that customers research on the Internet before purchasing a product, and have already decided what they want to purchase before going to the store. Customers search on the Internet after receiving some kind of stimulus (stimulus) such as TV commercials or magazine advertisements.
The most important point is the “zero” point of searching on the Internet, before touching the product in the store. As a result, companies are now required to find ways to deliver information about products to customers before they even visit a store.
FMOT and SMOT
Before the Internet became popular, the concepts of FMOT and SMOT were mainstream. FMOT and SMOT are customer decision-making models proposed by P&G in 2004, and are characterized by having two points of contact with customers: at the store and at home.
FMOT is an abbreviation for First Moment of Truth. Specifically, it refers to the moment a customer stands in front of a store shelf and decides to purchase a product. According to P&G research, that moment lasts only 3 to 7 seconds.
The moment when you use a purchased product at home and decide whether to purchase it again is called SMOT. SMOT is an abbreviation for Second Moment of Truth. P&G has defined customer contact points as important: the moment they decide to purchase a product at a store, and the moment they use the product at home and decide to return.
Marketing based on ZMOT
① Importance of marketing at ZMOT stage
It is important to provide product information to customers during the ZMOT stage before they come to the store, and a survey conducted by Google revealed the following three data.
- More than 80% said they decided to purchase after researching online beforehand.
- 70% of Americans check reviews online before purchasing a product
- 79% of consumers use smartphones to shop
Effective marketing measures at the ZMOT stage are SEO (search engine optimization) and disseminating information on SNS.
②SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
Search engines are often used to gather information on the Internet before visiting a store. Depending on how well you can approach potential customers on search engines, you will have an advantage over your competitors at the ZMOT stage.
It is of course effective to perform SEO to rank high in searches using designated keywords such as company name or product name, but it is also effective to gain recognition with know-how-based content for product categories and related general keywords.
③ Information dissemination on SNS
Information on SNS such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LINE, which have become rapidly popular in recent years, is also very important at the ZMOT stage. Customers are more likely to trust information they get from friends or celebrities they follow on social media than information they get from a search engine.
In addition, by collecting and analyzing information sent on SNS, it is possible to understand not only the actual needs but also brand image and trends, making it possible to take effective measures to reach more people at the ZMOT stage. It will be.
SNS where Stimulus and ZMOT coexist
Marketing activities with ZMOT in mind are about how to deliver information about your company’s products to customers when they search the internet. With the rise of SNS, there are cases where Stimulus (some kind of stimulation) and ZMOT coexist.
For example, someone might be inspired by seeing a post from a celebrity or friend they follow on SNS, and then search for that product on SNS. As customers’ decisions are now completed within SNS, marketing activities within SNS have become even more important.
UGC is attracting attention here. UGC stands for User Generated Content, which literally means content created by users. It refers not only to SNS, but also to all content posted by users, such as posts on review sites.
Word of mouth and product images posted on SNS are likely to provide some stimulus to other customers and influence their purchasing decisions. The more positive UGC for a product, the easier it will be for marketing measures based on ZMOT to be successful.
Therefore, it is necessary to focus not only on content provided by the company, but also on content provided by customers.
summary
- ZMOT was proposed by Google in 2011, and is a concept that states that when customers purchase a product, they research it on the Internet beforehand, and have already decided what they want to purchase before going to the store.
- Before the spread of the Internet, the concepts of FMOT and SMOT were mainstream. FMOT and SMOT are customer decision-making models proposed by P&G in 2004, and are characterized by two points of contact with customers: at the store and at home.
- There are two effective marketing measures at the ZMOT stage: SEO (search engine optimization) and disseminating information on SNS.
- Recently, there have been cases where Stimulus and ZMOT coexist, where word-of-mouth and product images posted on SNS act as some kind of stimulus to other customers and influence their purchase decisions.