2014: Mobile Use Increased, Changed Buyer Behavior

We are ever-connected through our smartphones – look around, you’re unlikely to see anyone who isn’t using a smartphone or tablet. We talk, we play, we eat, and we even sleep with our mobile devices.

There are more than 1.75 billion global smartphone users, and smartphone adoption is forecasted to continue on a fast-paced trajectory through 2017, according to eMarketer.

These people are ever-connected, conducting local searches that lead to buying decisions, and sharing on social media. In fact, more than 2/3 of smartphone users are on their mobile devices to access social media networks.

Our mobile devices have dramatically impacted our shopping habits as well. Smartphone users are increasingly performing local searches that lead to a purchase in a brick-and-mortar store, whether it be a search for a coffee shop or retail store.

According to eDigital Research, 65% of mobile users said they used their mobile device to find a business to make an in-store purchase – and this is expected to continue to increase.

Smartphones continue to penetrate the market, and according to Flurry research, there was a 150% rise in the number of apps activated on Christmas Day, 2014, compared to an average day in 2014. The number of apps activated is indicitave of the number of smartphones given on Christmas.

Purchases made with a smartphone is on the rise as well. According to Amazon, sales through the Amazon mobile app doubled in 2014, and most of the purchases were made during the holiday season.

In 2014, smartphones increasingly penetrated the market and have impacted consumer’s buying behavior.

How will your company connect to these mobile users in 2015?