Ch-Ch-Changes: How Web Behavior Changed in 2015
The old adage “Tune in and Turn on” was never truer than in 2015. There was more to choose from on the digital landscape than ever before. Throughout 2015 individuals were/are looking for relevant communication that relates directly to their needs. Doesn’t matter if they are searching for a product or service.
The fact is, the increasing number of available media channels has created a wider palette for consumers but complications for marketers who long ago gave up sleep while trying to determine when, and where, their customer is located. A scary scenario to be sure, but also an exciting one because if marketers can crack the users code there is gold to found at the end of the rainbow.
Changes in attitudes
An graphic from social sharing and analytics provider addthis.com provides insights into the shifting behaviors of internet users in 2015. And despite evidence that the smartphone market is slowing, it seems mobile is still taking over.
According to addthis.com, mobile now accounts for more than half of all internet users worldwide. Don’t worry, there are still plenty of countries, the U.S. included, where people still use a desktop/laptop computer. The most social sharing still happens on desktop devices but mobile use continues to creep up with a 32 percent increase over 2014 data.
The big question
Marketingland.com points out that “understanding how, why and when your customers engage with certain channels will lead to a better communication and customer experience [and ultimately more sales].”
Regarding a shift in internet use behavior, consumers own more connected devices than ever, with more than 70% of connected consumers indicating that they personally use three or more devices. And it’s not just the devices that are multiplying; it is also the time spent engaging with content across screens.
According to emarketer.com, time spent with digital media has leaped to 5 hours and 38 minutes a day, with 2 hours and 51 minutes of that time being spent on mobile This is due to the fact that consumers take their devices with them and engage on and off throughout the day and night.
With the rise of the mobile “everything” (communication, payment options, digital wallets, etc) the Internet is not only a font of information, but a simple and easy point of purchase. As consumers continue to drive the digital shift forward, the rest of the sales and marketing landscaping must fight to keep up.
#WebBehavior
Kyle
January 19, 2016 at 1:07 pm
I’ve been running into shocking anecdotal mobile use cases going back to early 2015. For instance, I spoke with a car dealer who has lots spread across the Ft. Worth area, and he said that his rural store was almost 100% mobile search. As I dug into that, it turns out that lower income people will choose a phone plan with a highly functional smartphone and forgo an upgraded desktop because of cost.
Verticals are important, too. Those that are “Yelp-dependent” trend very high with smartphone use, for instance. I’ve talked to several hair salons in 2015, and their experience reflects this perfectly.
The reason I point this out is because I see and hear the “more than half of all search is mobile” stat quoted almost uniformly, and I think small business owners can miss just how dominant mobile search could be in their demo. While it’s true that more than half of all search is mobile, they could be missing a lot of business by thinking “well, at least I’ll get half of the remaining search traffic”.
Cindy Allen
January 21, 2016 at 8:08 pm
I started to read this article as a business owner but found myself quickly falling into “Mom” mode when I saw the stat from emarketer.com stating 5.5 hour per day spent on digital media. That’s equivalent to a full time job each week… “Tune in and turn on”? I wonder how much of it is that, verses “turn on and tune out”. Guess I’m getting old and starting to sound like my mother. Sorry to interrupt. You may go back to your device now.