Mobile predicted to take over PC in internet race
A new report has predicted that mobile phones will overtake PCs globally as the most common device through which the internet is accessed by the end of 2013.
UM London, who carried out the research, reported that 64% of consumers would be lost without constant connection to the internet, which demonstrates the increasing need for ‘on-the-go’ access and the necessity that brands and advertisers evolve with the consumer and consumer needs.
Unsurprisingly, Laptops and PCs continue to dominate the home, with 91% accessing the internet via those devices in comparison to the 42% that use smartphones and tablets.
During these times, people used their mobiles to do a range of activities – from shopping, to looking for entertainment info, to reading the news. Wireless technology brings great opportunity for brands – both inside and outside of the home – and with the roll-out of 4G, consumers will expect faster connections and no interruptions.
However, as discussed at this year’s Media Playground event, mobile advertising, more often than not, doesn’t work.
During a presentation by Addictive! founder Simon Andrews, after stating that “mobile advertising still sucks!”, making reference to a famous Steve Jobs quote, he listed the obvious shortcomings; bad optimisation, bad links, and bad consumer experiences. However, Oliver Robinson, researcher at GfK, said that these aren’t failings of insight, but rather failings of execution.
“Until we start treating mobile advertising as seriously as consumers treat their mobile devices, no amount of data will provide a solution,” Robinson said.
Claire Spencer, Head of Insight at UM London said that there’s no point in using mobile advertising just for the sake of it.
“However,” she continued, “it is now possible for brands to deliver extremely good mobile experiences to their customers. Everything advertisers do should come back to the customer, and research like Stretching Spectrums helps us do this.
“Advertisers need to think about how mobile features in their customers’ worlds, and develop mobile solutions that enhance their experiences, rather than disrupt them in any way.”
Spencer concluded that brands need to make sure that their mobile execution is “relevant and timely” to make it worthwhile, particularly as we continue to move forwards into a digital-centric world.
Like the smartphone, tablet ownership has grown exponentially over the last few years, and since UM launched TabletinTouch in 2011, penetration has risen to 17%, which is a 123% increase overall.
The average tablet owner is aged between 44 and 50 and has an annual household income somewhere between £37,000 and £49,000.
39% of people that have owned a tablet for under a year said that it had changed their life, and 48% of those said that they spend more time online, in comparison to the 60% of those that have owned a tablet for more than one year.
The results show that tablets are a core device for a range of audiences and should be taken into consideration within all digital plans among brand owners and advertisers.