It’s Official: Mobile Devices Rule Our Lives

Mobile devices are now a central part of consumers’ overall lives, or it is for 85 percent of them at least, according to a new report. And while keeping in touch with loved ones has helped push the market along, the enhanced communications capabilities mobile devices offer also have helped reshape how we shop, the research found.

Consumers, in fact, view mobile simply. While marketers tend to view mobile as an entire category of non-PC-based technology, many consumers view it more precisely as a specific device–their smartphone, as noted by 54 percent of survey respondents featured in the “2014 Mobile Behavior Report” from exacttarget.com.

For the report, the marketing provider tracked 470 volunteer consumers between Dec. 15, 2013, and Jan. 15, 2014,  to see how they used their smartphones and tablets to access the mobile Web and mobile apps. Of those tracked, 265 were smartphone only, while 205 were tracked on both smartphone and tablet use.

Respondents also were asked questions about how they use and view mobile devices in their lives. Among the goals was to uncover perceptions and preferences while finding behavioral patterns in consumers mobile-device use.

While 85 percent of respondents said mobile devices were a central part of everyday life, this view shared by 90 percent of those ages 18 to 24, the report found. Moreover, 89 percent said mobile devices allow them to stay up to date with loved ones and social events, suggesting such devices signify connectivity to all that’s going on in their world, the report notes.

“Mobility is indispensable in the digital age, and our mobile devices are portals through which we connect with everything and everyone,” the report states. “Whether it’s a tablet or, more typically, our smartphones, these mobile devices give us access to our social and business lives on demand.”

Shopping uses

Among participants’ activities, consumers who used both tablets and smartphones tended to use the devices while shopping more so than just smartphone owners. Among the respondents using both devices, 46 percent said they had scanned a coupon of barcode while shopping in stores, while just 34 percent of smartphone-only users said so.

“As might be expected, people who own both a tablet and a smartphone versus those who own only a smartphone perform a greater variety of activities on their mobile devices,” the report notes.

Push notifications also play an important role among users of mobile devices, including for reminders to resume shopping if an online cart is abandoned or to alert when deals or offers are available , the report notes. When receiving push notifications from an app, 65 percent said they check and open the app if the information is interesting, according to the report.

Push alerts

“Push messages are often personally tailored to that user, providing individualized alerts about banking, flight, purchase and other information,” the researchers said. “For that reason, 46 percent of consumers say they use push because they like receiving personalized alerts, suggesting a valuable opportunity for brands looking to provide more value through their mobile messaging.”

Some 84 percent consumers who signed up for emails from a brand over the previous six months made a purchase based on what they received. But among those who didn’t use email notifications, 43% found them disruptive.

Moreover, while computer and offline purchases are still the main channels for conversion from an email (64 percent said they purchased with a computer, while 56 percent purchased offline), 46 percent reported making a purchase through a mobile device. Of those respondents, men, at 54 percent, were significantly more likely to make an online purchase through a mobile device compared with women. Women, however, were significantly more likely than were men to make an online purchase through a computer (69 percent versus 58 percent).

Purchase behavior

Additionally, those participants who owned both a tablet and smartphone were significantly more likely to make a purchase through a computer, as 70 percent who owned both made a purchase from an email through a computer versus 42 percent of smartphone-only owners. They also were more likely to make a purchase from an email through a mobile device, as 50 percent of smartphone and tablet owners did so versus 32 percent of those who owned a smartphone only.

Mobile-optimized websites also were important to many respondents, as 37 percent said they were more likely to purchase on a mobile-optimized website, according to the report.

The research suggests mobile is playing a growing role in commerce, both at the store and online. As marketers gain more sophistication in identifying how to capitalize on this trend, competition will become especially strong trying in capture the attention of omnichannel consumers via their smartphones and tablets. The question is, how soon, if ever, will consumers tire of the marketing efforts?