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Boom in new Android users accessing Wi-Fi after holidays: JiWire

The number of new Android users accessing the mobile Web via Wi-Fi is up 48 percent for the most-recent post-holiday period, according to JiWire.

The company also reported that the top ten Wi-Fi locations accessed by Android using from Dec. 25 to Dec. 31 were Boston, Denver, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New  York, Dallas, Omaha, Seattle, Chicago and Washington, in that order.

The top Wi-Fi locations accessed by iPad users on Christmas were Denver, Boston, San Francisco, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Orlando, Miami and Omaha, in that order.

Mobile Marketer?s Dan Butcher interviewed David Staas, senior vice president of marketing at JiWire, San Francisco. Here is what he had to say:

What was the key finding of the study?
We noticed that while comparing the growth of the Android and iPhone over the post-holiday period Android has seen a significant increase of new users, a total of 47.9 percent connecting to public Wi-Fi, while the statistic for new iPhone users is only up 17.8 percent.

Many have highlighted Android as the popular holiday gift this year, and our data confirms this.

In addition, the top locations where Android devices were connecting proved interesting: Boston, Denver and Los Angeles leading the top three locations, but warm vacation hot-spots Dallas, Honolulu and Orlando were also included in the Top 10 Chart.

What was the most surprising finding, and why?
JiWire discovered that with the increase of new iPad users and the growth of tablets and handhelds, it has caused a decrease in laptop usage while on the go.

New users connecting to Wi-Fi via their PC and Mac have declined?PC was down 12 percent and Mac was down 28.1 percent.

The tablet is the hot new travel device for the on-the-go audience.

Why was mobile so important for consumers, marketers and retailers during the holidays?
Technology is enabling an increase in consumer utility and ?connectedness.?

Today, people are spending much more time on-the-go and they have a number of different devices, such as iPads, smartphones, laptops and netbooks that allow them to stay connected.

Brands are starting to understand this revolutionary consumer shift, which is why location-based advertising is becoming a key part of more brands? mobile-marketing strategy.

We believe mobile is particularly important during the holidays because it is typically a time when a lot of people are on-the-go ? travelling, stranded in airports, doing last-minute shopping, etcetera.

Since we saw a growth of handhelds and a decrease in laptop usage, we are realizing that people are primarily using their mobile device to do the many things that they used to do on their laptop or computer. 

What advice can you give to brands/marketers and retailers/merchants based on these findings?
We would advise marketers and retailers to truly understand the importance and growth of tablets and handhelds, and to continue to seize the opportunity to engage mobile consumers using location-based advertising.

In order to win in today?s marketing landscape, brands need to think about how to ?localize? themselves with their consumers.

Final Take
Mr. Staas