NEW YORK ? A Nielsen analyst at Mobile Commerce Daily's Mobile Research Summit: Data & Insights 2015 said that results increasingly prove consumers? growing demand for additive second-screen experiences.

During the ?Nielsen: Media and the Mobile Consumer: How Mobile Devices are Transforming How We Consume Media? session, the executive crowned mobile as the most disruptive device out there, and a primary medium for media consumption, especially for entertainment purposes. Mobile device owners also tend to use their smartphones frequently when watching television, leaving a wide opportunity for marketers to target them with material specific to their favorite programs.

?There is clear rationale for second-screen experiences here,? said David Wong, senior vice president of product leadership at Nielsen, New York. ?Second-screen experiences are in demand.

?Mobile consumers are special. They have a lot of unique characteristics, and that is an indicator for a lot of other behavior.?

Smartphone growth
Video continues to be a force to be reckoned with in mobile, as smartphone video viewing is growing approximately 20 percent each year. Consumers are increasingly streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime on their mobile devices.

However, when measuring smartphone activity while performing other activities, Nielsen discovered that a majority of individuals use their phone most while watching television. Consumers prefer to look up general information and check their email.

Ultimately, 29 percent of consumers use their smartphones while watching television several times a day.

Executives from QVC revealed at CXNYC 2015 that developing mobile-first, second-screen experiences to complement live broadcasts is an optimal way for the home shopping network to increase customer engagement, and consequently, conversion rates (see story).

Conversely, tablet users are most likely to be shopping while using their devices while watching television, proving that the best time to target consumers on tablets is likely during the evening hours when they are relaxing at home.

Mr. Wong claimed that, in terms of smartphone growth by category, entertainment, search and portals clock in highest.

Meanwhile, apps with utility options are most popular, with commerce and shopping apps seeing high usage.

?I think commerce and shopping is not surprisingly a place that we?re all taking a very close look at,? Mr. Wong said.

Therefore, retail marketers must ensure their apps offer seamless checkout experiences, as consumers are interested in fueling more purchases on their personal devices.

Media consumption
Nielsen has seen a significant change in how individuals are consuming media, due to the proliferation of smartphones in the market. The last decade has offered the mass market an explosion of content options.

?In the past five years, mobile has been the most disruptive device,? Mr. Wong said. ?There?s a lot of change in the way consumers are consuming media.

?For a long time, there were a lot of ancillary devices. But today, there?s actually a change in the core behaviors [of consumers].?

Mobile is absolutely eating into individuals? time, especially as they carry their devices on their persons at all times. However, it is driving up overall time spent on any media across the United States.

?It is definitively a mass market phenomenon,? Mr. Wong said. ?Smartphones and tablets, even in the past three years, have seen tremendous change in media consumption.?

Final Take
Alex Samuely is an editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York