Tablets are becoming an increasingly important part of the lives of 16-44 year olds, with more than half now having access to a tablet, according to newly released data from Kantar Media.
According to the futurePROOF study, 45% of all British adults currently have access to a tablet compared to 32% a year ago, with the highest penetration among 35-44 year olds, who have at least one tablet in their home.
In terms of operating systems, 37% of users have an Android-based tablet, up 10 percentage points in six months; however Apple remains the market leader with 56% tablet penetration – although this is down from 63% in the last six months. 15% own Kindle Fire or Fire HD tablets.
According to Kantar, the shift towards Android devices is linked to their “relative affordability” compared to Apple’s.
The research also found that tablets are playing an increasing role in the purchase process, with 53% of tablet users researching information on a product or service using their device – a 9% increase over the last six months.
Tablets were also found to be more likely than smartphones to be used to watch TV programmes, YouTube videos and games.
“Tablets have rapidly become part of our digital lives, with Christmas sales and cheaper Android-powered devices all contributing to making tablets a ‘need to have’ rather than just a ‘nice to have’,” said Trevor Vagg, director of Kantar Media Custom.
“The arrival of cheaper Android based tablets such as Tesco’s Hudl and the Kindle Fire has turned what was a premium device into something that’s much more ubiquitous but also increasingly as personal as the smartphone we use when we are on the go.
“These shifts open new doors for advertisers in terms of targeted messaging opportunities.”
