The results showed how Australians are accessing the internet in different ways. We used to go online in long, uninterrupted chunks of time. And we still do ­ when we’re on our desktop. But as the new ratings show, our mobiles are now the most common way we access the internet. The implications of that are huge.

That’s because our behaviour on mobiles is quite different: we connect to the web in hundreds of micro­moments; spontaneous bursts of digital activity that happen throughout the day. Scanning our email every time we have a 30 second wait. Searching for the nearest Bunnings. Checking in for our flight. Settling an argument with a flourish: “See, I told you Ronan Keating was never in the Backstreet Boys”.

These are moments when we act on a need. They are ‘I­want­to­know, I­want­to­go, I­want­to­do and I­want­to­buy’ moments. They take less time: the new data shows that Aussies’ average session length on a mobile is less than one third that on desktop. But they happen far more frequently: over the course of a month, we go online more than 4 times more often on our phones than on our desktops. Businesses need to be present in these mobile­based micro­moments if they want to be helpful and relevant to their customers.

Many already are. Searches starting “how to” have increased by 150 per cent over the past 10 years in Australia​— so ​the success of Unilever’s ​Be Beautiful​, a YouTube channel that serves as a hub for beauty tips and tutorials, is hardly surprising.

But this isn’t limited to teen cosmetics: Australians came to the smartphone party right away, and are mobile­focused in every industry. The new data shows that 7​5 per cent of Australian smartphone users connect to financial services or information every month ­ the equivalent figure in the US is just 57 per cent. Australia’s financial service providers are world leaders in mobile marketing. One big reason for this is that they are constantly thinking about what their customer’s needs are in the moments they are on their mobiles.​ For example, knowing that searches for home loan calculators peak at 2pm on Saturdays, after the open home inspection period ends, means that banks can boost their marketing accordingly.

These moments exist for every marketer. Almost 70 per cent of smartphone shoppers have used their phone to search for information about an item they were looking to buy instore: these are micro­moments that can have a huge influence on purchase decisions. Overall, research shows that 95 per cent of smartphones users turn to their smartphone for immediate information, ideas or advice. That’s something no marketer can ignore. So here are five tips for marketers on how to take advantage of a micro­moments world:

1. Make a micro­moments map
Identify a set of moments you can’t afford to lose: those moments when people are looking inspiration, information about your products, or when they want to make a quick purchase. Make sure you are there.

2. Understand customer needs in­the­moment
For each moment, ask “What would make this easier or faster? What content or features would be most helpful for this moment?”

3. Use context to deliver the right experience
Use contextual signals like location and time of day to deliver experiences and messages that feel tailor­made for the moment. For example, let customers searching nearby your stores know when the products they’re looking for are in stock.

4. Optimise across the journey
People move seamlessly across screens and channels. Does your brand deliver seamlessly in return? Don’t let competing objectives or department silos get in the way.

5. Measure every moment that matters.
You cannot afford to under­serve your customers while you’re dealing with measurement gaps. Where the return on investment for certain moments is hard to measure, use credible estimates instead.

Australians are toggling between their mobiles and their physical lives more than ever done before. The IAB’s new research helps marketers understand how best to respond.