The evolution of mobile: there’s money to be made
A huge problem has arisen in the business community in the form of professionals buying an iPhone and considering themselves to be tech savvy. The reason this is problematic, aside from it being ridiculous, is that brands of all size are literally losing money because their site is not mobile ready, and we don’t mean that you can open it up in a browser from your phone, we mean that it is optimized specifically for mobile so you don’t have to pinch and stretch the screen, or hunt for the tiny link somewhere on the page you’re supposed to click.
A recent infographic from SuperMonitoring has compiled dozens of useful stats on how mobile has evolved, and some of this information might surprise you.
Half of the average global mobile web users now use mobile as either their primary or exclusive means of going online, but remember that America may not be quite up to that standard, simply because most areas have accessible internet at home or work, whereas many developing nations have limited internet access.
That said, it should be noted that the average consumer actively uses 6.5 apps throughout a 30-day period, and 80 percent of mobile time is spent in apps. Developing an app may seem like a waste, but if it is truly a value added for your clients, it is worth revisiting. Although most apps are downloaded and forgotten, if yours answers a true need and isn’t just your website regurgitated, you’re in for a win.
Mobile traffic now accounts for 15 percent of all internet traffic, and two out of every five emails opened are done via mobile or tablet device.
Additionally, one in three mobile searches have local intent versus one in five on desktops, and 91 percent of mobile internet access is for social activities, versus just 79 percent on desktops.
Make that money
Fully 80 percent of consumers say they plan to conduct mobile commerce in the next year, and over half say they won’t recommend a business with a poorly designed mobile site. Ouch.
Not having a mobile optimized site is like closing your business for one day each week, according to this data. Again, ouch.
The majority of consumers now research on their phone, and 37 percent of smartphone users purchase in-store, while 35 percent purchase on their smartphone. Of tablet owners, 41 percent make purchases from their tablet when researching, and only 33 percent purchase from inside the store, and the number of people who have used a mobile device in-store to enhance their shopping experience has increased 25 percent in just the last year alone.
The most common in-store shopping experience enhancement is comparison shopping, followed by searching for coupons and product reviews.
And it’s not just that they’re using their devices, they’re spending more money. Fully 72 percent of tablet owners make purchases from their devices on a weekly basis, and tablet users spend 50 percent more money than PC users. Additionally, tablet visitors are three times more likely to purchase than smartphone visitors.
So are you there to answer consumers’ needs, or are you insisting that you’re ahead of the curve because you once gave Apple money for a device?
