As mobile has become an indispensable part of our daily lives, we’re witnessing a fundamental change in the way people consume media. What used to be our predictable, daily sessions online have been replaced by many fragmented interactions that now occur instantaneously. There are hundreds of these moments every day—checking the time, texting a spouse, chatting with friends on social media.

But then there are the other moments—the I want-to-know moments, I want-to-go moments, I want-to-do moments, and I want-to-buy moments—that really matter. They are called “micro-moments,” and they’re game changers for both consumers and brands.

Is not me that is saying that but Google, and who else knows more about everything than Google?

Micro-moments occur when people reflexively turn to a device—increasingly a smartphone—to act on a need to learn something, do something, discover something, watch something, or buy something.

They are intent-rich moments when decisions are made and preferences shaped. In these moments, consumers’ expectations are higher than ever. The powerful computers we carry in our pockets have trained us to expect brands to immediately deliver exactly what we are looking for when we are looking.

How can we turn those Micro-moments into opportunities?

For example, an Instagram feature that allows you to identify a product directly in a publication, referring to purchase, is an opportunity for brands and companies to make all information available at once, allowing them to execute the cycle in a few clicks.

Think about a clothing store, for example. A potential consumer is impacted by a dress, he sees information about the same price and size, and he or she can make a buying decision, right in that moment.

Marketers need to evaluate the traditional consumer journey and consider now how people think, see and talk about something and how much they want to know, want to see and want to buy things at that same instant.

It’s crucial to understand what these micro-moments of your target audience are.

People want things right and want things right away.