Has mobile become the most valuable screen?

According to the GSMA, there are currently 7.8 billion mobile connections globally, while global population is 7.4 billion. There are more mobile devices than there are people. Of these, 62% are unique mobile subscribers, so 2/3 of the population is connected to a mobile device. Wow!

To put this into (local) context, Ireland has 4,8 million mobile connections within a population of 4,6 million people. Unlike other media, the consumer is literally plugged in 24/7. Google research suggests that over two-thirds of smartphone users check their phones within 15 minutes of waking up and up to 150 times a day! That’s 150 times your brand could possibly make a connection with a consumer. So how important should mobile be for your brand in this day and age? Pretty important I would say!

Top 6 Stats you need to know!

Here are my top 6 stats on the Irish mobile market, selected from the Google Consumer Barometer Research. These are designed to assist marketers and planners understand the importance of ‘when, how, why people use the internet’. They should convince you to invest and execute mobile first.

1. Smartphone Penetration – Of the 4,8 million Irish mobile connections, 75% of these connections are on Smartphone devices. Smartphones are the first truly personal computers (it’s yours and fits into your pocket!). The opportunities to engage consumers and give them a great experience with your brand are vast. From mobile app solutions to mobile optimized or responsive web experiences.

 

2. Smartphone Use by Age Group – With 97% of the under 25’s using Smartphones, mobile is no longer a choice but a necessity which helps them stay connected with their online world. Mobile is expected to account for 80% of all internet traffic by 2018, so the internet is now mobile.

Interestingly the 25-44 age group is almost just as active on Smartphones, with 92% Smartphone penetration. On average, Smartphone adoption has been growing by 15% the in the past 2 years.

3. Activities Done on Smartphones – So what do the Irish do on their Smartphones? Whatever the question, online is the answer and mobile is crucial in providing these answers. Across all age groups, there are a wide range of activities carried out on Smartphones at least as often as computers. So knowing where your brand needs to be during the research and purchase stages is key. There are plenty of opportunities to connect with consumers through owned, earned and paid media.

50% use search engines followed by 48% who visit social media channels. Is your brand actively present in all these moments that matter to consumers?

4. Role of Smartphones in Purchase – Consumers have become savvy when faced with shopping choices. So at key decision moments, the Smartphone plays an important role in driving consideration and decisions. From finding inspiration to comparing products or prices, consumers are using their smartphone devices for their own benefit. An integrated marketing solution will effectively deliver on marketing objectives. As much as 40% of people seek inspiration early on in the research stages via their smartphones, so your marketing strategy needs to win through mobile too.

5. What Other Activities Do They Do on Smartphones? – Layering your targeting with more relevant data driven strategies will allow you to be more focused and convert hot leads to purchase your product. As the quality of audiences is more refined, the opportunity to convert is even more increased.

Consumers are now carrying out in-store research just before they purchase your product (or your competitors!), so your mobile game needs to be even much stronger than before. As much as 14% of people researched a product while in-store while up to 13% shared product photos.

There are easy wins to include in your marketing strategy like location based advertising with location specific offers to entice the undecided customer in your store. Also simply ensuring you are able to see if customers are searching for yours or competitor products at specific locations and putting a bullet proof strategy in place to mop up these active customers could be enough.

6. Short Form Video on Mobile – Video video video! We just can’t get enough of it. Short form video (less than 5 minutes) is said to be the next wave in storytelling. Social video apps have finally caught on and traditional social platforms are making sure they are not missing out on audiences wanting to actively share their content. It’s become so much easier to capture and share, just at the click of a button. According to Google, as much as 61% of people prefer to watch short online videos, especially when watching via smartphone versus a computer.

According to YouTube, the number of hours people spent watching videos on mobile is up 100% yoy. More than 50% of YouTube views come from mobile devices. So your brands need to invest time in social video, start storytelling and connecting with consumers.

Consider these social channels for video creation and distribution – Snapchat Videos, Periscope Videos, Facebook Live Videos, Instagram Videos and YouTube Videos. Globally more than 7 billion videos are viewed through Snapchat per day, while Facebook video views are around 8 billion per day!

Sources:

Google Consumer Barometer Insights

GSMA Intelligence

ThinkWithGoogle

Fortune.com

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