Sometimes, Bottle Rocket will encounter brands focusing on reaching iOS customers without realizing Android, the Google-developed mobile operating system, owns around 85% of the global smartphone OS market share. At this year’s Google I/O event, Bottle Rocket learned firsthand of the latest changes to Android that brands should know about. Here are five of the most exciting opportunities brands can use to connect to their customers.
More than 50 car manufacturers are making more than 300 models with Android Auto built in. Although it takes time for consumers to purchase new vehicles, Google has seen 10x user growth in the past year. With recent changes in Google Assistant, this seamless integration to the car makes for compelling frictionless experiences for brands beyond the handheld device.
While Google Assistant, an intelligent personal assistant, isn’t all-new, many new features were announced at Google I/O this year that brands could utilize for Android phone, tablet, TV, car, and watch, and even across iOS devices. Google has made a backend called api.ai that lets brands easily create many conversation flows without knowing how to code. Even better: you can see what people ask your app, so you can learn what types of functionality you could include in your next version. Brands can utilize Google Assistant to deliver their products as results to user queries, simultaneously improving SEO.
Android Go is Google’s new initiative for handsets in emerging markets. These mostly lower cost devices will have users who are much more conservative with their data usage. Android Go introduces new opportunities to reach an often overlooked but fast-growing, market segment. As brands consider expanding into these markets, they’ll have data-friendly opportunities like instant apps to more effectively and efficiently reach their customers.
Instant apps on Android will replace the standard app acquisition process for users. Users will soon be able to tap and run an instant app (showcasing a few features of a full app), rather than searching, installing, and running an app from the store. Quickly interacting with content will provide a better user experience and deeper integration with Android for brands, all while saving data for users.
Our Rocketeers at Google I/O talked to the Android Wear team and learned that Complications are something that every brand should look in to. Complications are displays that allow users to get information from their Android Wear devices. If there’s any data that brands could show users (days until next flight/hotel, room number, remaining balance on a gift card), it can be exposed through a Complication on an Android Wear 2.0 watch face.
As one of only 25 global Android Certified Agencies, Bottle Rocket develops award-winning mobile experiences for Android. Now that it will be easier than ever to create experiences that connect brands and customers via Android devices, we’re excited to help you realize your mobile experience vision.
Contact us to learn more about how Android can engage customers.