• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, August 8, 2013

According to the Adobe Digital Index, with the meteoric rise of mobile devices and tablets, mobile is a way of life and is here to stay. In 2012, there were 121 million smartphone users and 94 million tablet users in the United States alone, representing a 31% and 180% increase over 2011, respectively. Mobile devices have changed the way consumers interact with businesses, and today’s digital marketers must understand how consumers use different devices to be able to build and optimize mobile marketing strategies.

In addition, 2013 marked a significant shift in how mobile users are accessing websites. Global websites are now getting more traffic from tablets than smartphones, with 8% and 7% of monthly page views respectively. Given that tablet visitors spend more per online purchase with U.S. retailers than visitors using smartphones, tablet traffic is proving to be more valuable in terms of e-commerce and engagement and represents significant implications for the development and optimization of mobile strategies.

Results from the Mobile Consumer Survey show that consumers are using their smartphones and tablet devices to connect with brands in a variety of ways, and they are increasingly moving back and forth between different devices and form factors. Mobile is a unique channel, with different requirements for smartphones and tablets, and this channel must be integrated into the overall marketing mix. It is imperative that businesses understand who their mobile consumers are, how they access sites or apps, which devices they use, and what their expectations are for a positive experience.

In March 2013, Adobe surveyed more than 3,075 mobile users in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, and Germany to learn which mobile devices they use, how they interact with websites and applications, and what they want most out of their mobile experiences. Participants provided valuable insight into their mobile activities across several categories, including media and entertainment, travel services, financial services, and shopping for consumer products and electronics.

The survey, administered by Survey Sampling International, categorized preferences based on device type, gender, and age. The participants were split nearly equally between gender and age. Age groups were split into young (18–29), middle-aged (30–49), and older (50–64) .

Results show that Android devices lead the way in overall popularity, with 55% of people reporting Android as their primary mobile device of choice, while iOS devices were reported at 31%.

Although the Android operating system gained in popularity across the board as compared to 2012, the middle-aged segment is now the largest adopter of Android smartphones. Android smartphones are the most popular as a primary mobile device by ownership across all age groups and regions, with 52% for the young segment, 54% for the middle-aged segment, and 49% for the older segment, which significantly increased from 38% in 2012. Overall, 52% of people report that Android phones are their primary device, with 27% reporting iPhones as their primary device.

While Android devices are steadily gaining in popularity, iOS has reemerged as the operating system of choice for browsing. iOS users tend to be more engaged and spend more time with apps and websites, and they tend to be loyal, having both iPhones and iPads to stay connected anytime, anywhere. These are the perpetually connected consumers, as termed by Forrester, where “almost four out of five have a tablet in addition to their smartphones or phones. They connect from anywhere, frequently, and use nearly every possible type of app.”

For consumers who own both a smartphone and tablet, the primary device is still the smartphone (77%), but tablets are making strong headway as a primary device, up from 12% in 2012 to 23% in 2013. And, tablets are now generating more website traffic than smartphones.

While smartphones still lead market share in the overall mobile device market, tablets are quickly gaining ground because of consumer preference to interact with websites and engage with content on the larger screen size. According to a recent Adobe Digital Index analysis of website visit activity, mobile users on average view 70% more pages per visit when browsing with a tablet compared to a smartphone. Designing for the tablet experience, as well as responsive design that optimizes experiences for every device, are key tactics for businesses that want to maximize engagement and increase consumer satisfaction.

And, tablet users are more likely to be home-based (80%), while 14% use tablets on the go and 6.5% use tablets at work. Consumers devote a significant amount of time to their tablets, with 26% using them daily between 1 to 4 hours, and 7% reporting more than 5 hours per day of usage.

Tablet users continue to be the more valuable mobile consumer segment when it comes to website visits. 71% of iPad users (62% in 2012) and 65% of Android tablet users (56% in 2012) reported spending more than $250 on consumer products via their devices over the past 12 months, compared to 59% of iPhone users (58% in 2012) and 53% (53% in 2012) of Android smartphone users. Overall, the spending reported by smartphone users was relatively flat compared to 2012, but spending at the upper levels by tablet users has jumped. 9% more tablet users (iOS and Android) report spending over $250 in the past 12 month compared to those reporting spending at that level last year.

On average, people appear to rate their experiences on apps and websites equally. A 60% average satisfaction rate for both websites and apps indicates a strong opportunity to improve experiences for mobile audiences, because 40% are neutral or not satisfied. However, within categories and in stating preferences for what consumers prefer, there are important differences. For example, when asked which method they would prefer to use for shopping, most consumers preferred websites to apps. 58% percent reported preferring mobile-optimized or regular websites, while 42% preferred applications, indicating that consumers might not be willing to download, install, and continually upgrade applications. In turn, businesses should provide both engaging mobile web experiences and mobile apps to address their total audience.

How Satisfied Are You Engaging With The Following Website And Apps (% of Respondents)
	Satisfied	Neutral	Not Satisfied
Websites
Media	50%	48%	2%
Travel	55%	43%	1%
Financial	61%	37%	2%
Retail	60%	38%	2%
Consumer Electronics	74%	26%	0%
Average	60%	38%	1%
Apps
Media	52%	46%	2%
Travel	54%	45%	1%
Financial	58%	39%	3%
Retail	59%	39%	2%
Consumer Electronics	77%	21%	1%
Average	60%	38%	2%
Source: Adobe Digital Index, July 2013

Social recommendations are critical to driving app downloads. Of the top three reasons cited for deciding to download a mobile app, 49% reported following a recommendation from people they know, 49% browsed an app store, and 34% searched for a particular app. This data indicates that mobile marketers need to follow and measure the influence of social networks in driving application discovery.

In the category of media consumption, as compared to other categories such as retail and consumer electronics, consumers reported having the most negative-to-neutral experiences overall for both mobile websites and applications in the areas of speed and performance, transaction processes, ability to load the website on a phone, and entering data. Consumers also highlighted navigation as a key area for improvement.

People still predominantly use their mobile devices to gain information, including social. Of those surveyed, 71% reported using their mobile device to access social media, while 70% searched for local information (such as event times, weather, maps, and reviews), and 65% reported reading news, including entertainment and national and world events.

While other categories of media consumption were reported at lower rates, the younger segment is much more likely than the older segment (71% versus 43%) to use a mobile device for playing music. Video consumption also decreases significantly by age group, with 69% of the younger segment watching videos on mobile devices compared to only 37% of the older segment. In looking at media consumption by age and the time spent on a device per week, the younger segment again reported the most hours, with 45% averaging over 3 hours per week (similar to 2012), and only 25% of the older segment reporting over 3 hours per week.

When asked how people access media-related mobile sites and apps for the first time, using a search engine was the overwhelming response at 43%, followed by browsing the app store at 28%, and directly typing in the address at 17%.

Given the choice between websites or apps for accessing media content on a mobile device, 42% reported preferring a mobile app, followed by a regular website at 38%, and mobile-optimized website at 20%. However, preferences alter significantly by age group, with 43% of the older segment preferring a regular website, compared to 38% for the middle segment and 34% for the younger.

In general, people don’t like paying for access to content on their mobile devices, based on the 70% who reported never paying to access content. Only 22% said they paid for access to games, 8% for news, and 7% for video. Media companies targeting younger audiences experience more success in this area, with numbers skewing a bit higher at 34% for games, 12% for news, and 13% for video.

Overwhelmingly, people are willing to view ad-supported content (85%) versus paying for content. Given this willingness to view ads, media companies should look to monetize content via ads as opposed to requiring subscriptions or payment.

 In general, 43% of the responders access media content on their mobile devices daily, with the younger group clocking in the most at 62%, compared to middle at 44% and older at 27%. Women also tend to access content on a daily basis more than men, at 51% versus 36%.

Only 31% of respondents access news on a daily basis, and 28% report accessing local information on a daily basis. In general, people prefer to access games and social content via apps, whereas they tend to browse websites for news and information-related content.