Think mobile!
The world live in is moving forward at an astonishing pace and this is particularly evident in the changes taking place in mobility as we break free of the constraints imposed by the traditional office workstation or home PC and make use of progressively more powerful mobile devices, more sophisticated applications, improvements to cellular bandwidth and wireless technologies.
It is just incredible to realise that around 128 million tablet devices were shipped in 2012, more than double that of 2011 with an expected 190 million projected this year alongside 900 million smartphones. By 2017, IDC predicts that over 350 million tablets will be sold per year, closing the gap on the 1.5 billion smartphones it estimates will be sold.
These devices have transformed the market for mobile access to web and intranet information. We’re reaching a new tipping point in IT and any mobile strategy has to focus on integrated information access across smart-phones, tablets and PCs along with delivery to internet TV.
There has been a doubling of mobile device share of website traffic over the past year.
It is not just about adapting content for different screen formats but taking into account issues such as supporting the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policy that is now emerging as the preferred option.
Smart devices have fundamentally changed how people interact with the world. Users now have information on tap, everywhere at any time. That has correlated into a shift in how consumers react with brands online, in retail stores, what products to buy and when to buy them.
Some statistics from Google indicate that:
- 79% of smartphone consumers now use their phones to help with shopping, from comparing prices, to finding more product info, to locating the shop they want to buy from
- 70% use their smartphones while they are in a shop.
- 77% have contacted a business via mobile, with 61% calling and 59% visiting the local business.
Users are now expecting to engage with local businesses though their mobile devices. How many websites have you visited recently that had an app or a website optimized for mobile? Tablet and smartphone users rely on their smartphones for information and are starting to expect to be able to use those devices to buy products and services.
Companies like Starbucks are ahead of the curve here in their adoption of mobile technology and already have a variety of mobile sites, mobile apps, augmented reality mobile-enhanced aps, and most recently are accepting mobile drive-thru payments via a scanner that makes it easy for customers to scan their cards themselves, rather than having to hand it over to the cashier. Starbucks has also revamped its mobile payments app to include plug-ins for social media, a section to learn about Starbucks’ coffee blends, drinks and food.
Mobile search is also changing the user experience and the smartphone technology companies are on moving rapidly to drive change and this is why Apple integrated Siri into the iPhone 4S and heavily promoted it as a way to easily search on the go. It’s now becoming more common to ask your phone verbally to look up a local restaurant to see what is on the menu and to get directions!
Tablets have joined smartphones as important factors in mobile advertising. Tablets are now a third screen that marketers have to deal with. The SME businesses are at the forefront of these changes with more than 2,500 (96%) surveyed in an AT&T poll confirming they use wireless technologies in their operations, with 63% saying that they could not survive—or it would be a major challenge to survive—without wireless technologies.
Year on year growth in number of public hotspots
More than 43% of small businesses reported that all their employees use wireless devices or technologies to work away from the office, nearly 80% up from three years ago. And in spite of being a relatively new technology, tablet computers are now being used by 67% of small businesses surveyed, up from 57% a year ago. From the above chart it is clear that were seeing a rapidly spread of public wireless hotspots and usage globally.
By the end of the year, about 50% of small businesses reported that they expect to have all their employees using wireless technologies to work away from the office.
85% of small businesses reported using smartphones for their operations, more than double the usage of five years ago. Nearly one-third of smartphones used by small businesses are now 4G.
Almost 30% of small businesses surveyed reported that they use mobile apps for their business to save time, increase productivity and reduce costs. Those mobile apps are also becoming as important as wireless technologies overall: half of the small businesses that use them say they could not survive—or it would be a major challenge to survive—without mobile apps, a 31% jump over last year.
We’re moving into a truly exciting time in IT where users expect to access information and transact for products and services using a variety of devices. As with the early adopter of the internet, the businesses that recognize and fully embrace these opportunities will be best positioned for rapidly growing their businesses in 2013 and beyond.
anthonykking
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