Technology has changed the way marketing works, and a new critical phase of purchases for modern shoppers is the “ZMoT.” To help business owners understand this concept and how to prepare for it, Google has released a free eBook.
Understanding ZMot
The Google eBook, “Winning the Zero Moment of Truth,” gives a lot of insights into ZMoT. To start, however, let’s look at what ZMoT actually is.
The phrase originated from the term “First Moment of Truth” (FMoT), which refers to the moment when a potential buyer is exposed to the product on the shelf. This, says traditional marketing, is the six to seven second window in which the product will either be bought or abandoned.
FMoT isn’t won through shelfing (though that doesn’t hurt), but through a chain of experience that begins with exposure to the brand (often via advertisement), proceeds to the first moment of truth, and then results in actual consumer experience. Thereafter, the cycle begins again. ZMoT goes right between the first exposure and the first moment of truth.
As T.S. Eliot would say if he were a marketer instead of a poet, “Between the ad and the act falls the ZMoT”; 70 percent of today’s users seek out reviews, details, and other information on a brand before they make a purchase. Just as critical as the moment they’re confronted with the product, this zero moment of truth that precedes has the chance to make or break the consumer–brand relationship.
As Google’s eBook discusses, the zero moment can happen in a variety of ways. It can be a consumer using their smartphone to look up a product while they’re in the store, a worker spending their lunch break to look up a product they saw online, or a user browsing the web for details on a product they just saw a TV spot for. The Google eBook discusses how to make the most out of this “zero moment.”
The Details of the Free eBook
First and foremost, you can find Google’s introduction to the book here, the official ZMoT site here, and the eBook itself right here. The book discusses:
- The various forms that ZMoT takes.
- Statistics associated with how ZMoT impacts consumer actions.
- How the marketing process has changed.
- The ways that modern consumers get first exposure.
- The importance of rating and reviews in ZMoT.
- Industry statistics for online information.
- A recommended step-by-step game plan for “winning” the ZMoT.
- Upcoming trends in online information-seeking.
Filled with charts, stats, and free advice, the Google eBook is highly useful, especially considering its nil cost.