The hidden conversion funnel of mobile vs. desktop consumers

We compare mobile and desktop user progress through the conversion funnel. Using detailed log-files of an online flight search engine, we analyze consumer search behavior and model the stages consumers go through along the funnel in both mobile and desktop platforms. We ask: Do mobile and desktop users go through similar funnel stages? Are the funnel stages of both platforms characterized differently? To analyze the progress through the funnel, we use hidden Markov models (HMM) that capture latent funnel stages based on observable search-behavior variables indicative of convergence towards a purchase. We find that while similar stochastic processes characterize funnel stages on both platforms, the distribution of visits across stages in the two platforms is significantly different: a larger percentage of mobile visits resides in more advanced stages, indicating that mobile consumers use the website when they are more advanced in the funnel, where less cognitive effort is required.