42pc of mobile phone owners have a smartphone: study

February 24, 2012

Stolen mobile phones are a growing problem

Global smartphone adoption is quickly picking up speed with more consumers using their devices for sophisticated features such as social media and buying.

ComScore�s new �2012 Mobile Future in Focus� report looked at the overall mobile and connected device landscape globally. The report looked at trends across mobile retail, social networking, the mobile ecosystem and media consumption.

�Mobile and tablet media consumption is becoming an increasingly important part of consumers� daily digital lives and marketing strategies need to reflect these evolving consumption habits,� said Sarah Radwanick, manager of marketing communications at comScore, Reston, VA.

�This shifting landscape creates a tremendous opportunity for marketers that understand how their audiences are engaging with these various devices throughout a given day and use this knowledge to develop smart strategies that most effectively and efficiently reach these multi-device consumers,� she said.

Smart access
According to the study, mobile media usage exceeded 50 percent in many markets, which means that consumers were increasingly relying on their mobile devices to access the mobile Web.

Japan was the country with the highest mobile media usage with 76.2 percent of consumers accessing content via their mobile devices.

In the U.S., Android devices captured almost half of the smartphones and iOS devices claimed 30 percent, showing the dominance that Apple and Android hold over the market.

The European markets, which included France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Britain in the study � also saw a rise in Android ownership by pushing Symbian in three of the countries.

Research in Motion�s devices were the No. 1 smartphone in Canada, followed by iOS devices.

Health, retail and commerce-related applications placed as the top apps, showing how mobile app development has matured and become a crucial part of brands� digital strategies.

Mobile behavior
The research also looked at how consumers are using their mobile devices.

According to the research, more than half of U.S. smartphone owners are using their devices in-stores to research, showing how mobile shoppers hunt for deals via their handsets.

Additionally, one in five consumers scanned a mobile bar code in 2011, and one in eight consumers comparison shopped on their mobile devices.

Consumers are also increasingly reaching for their mobile devices to access their social media. In December, 48.4 million European and 64.2 million U.S. smartphone users accessed social media via their devices. Of those users, half of the smartphone users accessed social media on a daily basis.

Half of the European smartphone owners reported reading blog posts on their mobile device, showing the opportunities that brands and retailers have to reach consumers while on the go.

Tablets also played an important role in 2011, per the research. Fifteen percent of U.S. mobile users owned tablets.

Connected devices � which includes tablets, ereaders and Web-enabled handhelds � generated eight percent of Internet traffic by December, showing the growth of mobile Web during the year.

�With a growing number of affordable and highly publicized tablets coming to market, expect tablet adoption to continue its upward trajectory,� Ms. Radwanick said.

�With the combination of these two trends, expect non-computer digital consumption to steadily climb in 2012 and beyond bringing increased focus to mobile marketing,� she said.

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York