Tablet Vs. PC

During the 4^th quarter of 2012, PCs saw their first major decline in sales.  In fact, sales dropped by nearly 5% and nearly 12 million units annually.  While tablet sales are growing, tablets alone are not the main reason PC sales are on the decline. Several new research studies are out that point out that tablet devices may not be the main PC cannibal.

● Three-quarters of iPad buyers were not choosing between a tablet and a PC

● Under 15% of iPad owners abandoned their PCs for a tablet

● Just over three in 10 current PC owners said they would trade their PC for a tablet

● Among 18-34 year olds, nearly 40% would make the switch as would a third of 35 to 44 year olds

● Tablet sales are projected to increase by 64%

What Does This Mean To You?

Yes, tablets are affecting PC sales, especially with younger consumers. But the same thing that is mainly plaguing the PC market could also hurt your business – the lack of innovation.
While there may be changes in the features of PCs, their value proposition hasn’t really advanced.
On the other hand, tablets have redefined computing.  While they may not offer the enterprise or development functions that a PC does, the value of having an always on device available to them wherever they are has made them more valuable.
When was the last time your business looked at its value proposition?
When was the last time you talked to your loyal customers about why they do business with you?
Your company’s brand is extremely valuable and the time invested into making sure it still connects with consumers is an investment in your future. For more information on keeping your brand and ans products top of mind and valuable to consumers, please contact your Sun Sentinel representative or:
Julie Otto
Research Manager
954.425.1158
jotto@sunsentinel.com

Source: NPD; eMarketer; Verizon

What’s Your Go-To Device?

Technology has made our lives easier in so many ways. But, it’s also made it confusing at the same time.  Today, we’ve got a vast array of devices and platforms to get the news from.  New research has been released that shows what devices go-to first when looking for news and information.

• Nearly half of all consumers said that the TV was their go to device

• Just under 20% replied laptop and 15% said desktop computer

• 8% of those surveyed said their smart phone was the device they relied on most for news & information and 4% said tablet

• Women were more likely than men to have the TV as their go-to device

• Among 18 to 34 year olds, 30% responded they relied most on their TV, but 28% responded laptop

• Nearly one in four 18 to 34 year olds also said that mobile devices (smart phones & tablets) were their first option for news and information

What Does This Mean To You?

The ways we find news and information, especially breaking news, are constantly evolving.
Think about how you find out Michael Jackson passed away?
Now think about the way you heard that Pope Benedict resigned this morning?
Mobile is becoming the conduit from which people are getting their news and information.
It’s not just the mobile web; it’s also social media and email moving to mobile first.
Your business needs to be fully optimized for mobile.  Not just your web presence, but your social sites as well.  For more information on utilizing mobile to get results, please contact your Sun Sentinel representative or:
Julie Otto
Advertising Marketing Manager
954.425.1158
jotto@sunsentinel.com
www.sunsentinel.com/mediakit

Source: eMarketer; Belkin

More Mobile Shoppers

Last week, we had a post that showed the growth of mcommerce dollars and how tablets looked be the go-to mobile shopping device.  Today, we’ll look into how the number of mobile shoppers is expected to rise and its affect on overall ecommerce.

• This year, the number of consumers engaging in mobile commerce is projected to reach 118 million people

• That makes up over 60% of everyone who shops digitally

• In 2016, the number of mobile shoppers will likely hit nearly 175 million consumers.  That’s a jump of nearly 50% in just 3 years

• Mobile consumers will make up 85% of total digital shoppers by 2016

• The number of mobile buyers will also increase. In 2012, 55% of mobile shoppers made a purchase.  By 2014, it is expected that almost 70% of mobile shoppers will buy something on their device.

• The average purchase made on a mobile device is anticipated to jump 54% from 2012 to 2016

What Does This Mean To You?

This one of the clearest examples of why your business needs to invest and stay invested in mobile. More consumers, making more purchases, spending more money.
If your business is not fully engaged in mobile, you are probably losing out on sales and helping your mobilized competition be more successful.
Mobile makes finding your business, researching your products and buying your merchandise quicker and easier.  The more convenient you make doing businesses with you, the more likely you are to be successful.  For more information on how you can grow your business with mobile, please contact your Sun Sentinel representative or:
Julie Otto
Advertising Marketing Manager
954.425.1158
jotto@sunsentinel.com
www.sunsentinel.com/mediakit

Source: eMarketer

Consumers And Mobile Banking Apps

Recently, we’ve published posts on how popular mobile banking and consumer behaviors that will probably come from it. We’ve said many times that the reason why consumers are so dependent on their mobile device is convenience. The same could be said for mobile banking apps. While it may be fun to work “banker’s hours”, those hours don’t make physically visiting financial institutions convenient at all. Online banking and now mobile banking have made banking easier. New research is out that gives information on the percentage of mobile banking and what mobile banking customers are looking for.

• In a recent survey, 44% of consumers had downloaded a banking app

• Among those who have downloaded a mobile banking app, 55% say they use the app more now than when they first downloaded it

• Two-thirds of mobile banking customers expect to receive notifications immediately when their balance is low or are in an insufficient funds situation

• Seven in 10 want to receive communications to help them avoid financial trouble

• Among 18 to 24 year olds, Three-quarters of them expect notifications

• Less than half of mobile banking consumers said they receive balance updates, One-third were notified when their balance was low and three in 10 receive messages when a bill is due

• 13% of users want to get notifications through their app (push notifications), over 20% said they wanted to get notices via SMS text and nearly half wanted to get the information through email

 What Does This Mean To You?
There are a couple of big take-aways from this research. First being that mobile banking may be the first step towards mobile point of sale payment. While mobile payment through sites like Pay Pal have been around for years, there is mounting evidence that making payments directly through your mobile device is on the way. Whether it’s through scanning or NFC, mobile point of sale can make checking out very easy.
The other take-away is that consumers are open to receiving direct notifications from merchants, if they find the content valuable. SMS and email can be key components to a loyalty program and can help you create sales from existing customers. For more information on how mobile technology can help your business better engage prospective customers, please contact your Sun Sentinel representative or:
Julie Otto
Advertising Marketing Manager
954.425.1158
jotto@sunsentinel.com
http://www.sunsentinel.com/mediakit
Source: Mobile Commerce Daily; Wakefield Research

Luxury Shoppers Expect Mobile Optimized Experiences

There was a time not too long ago when luxury shoppers lagged behind the
general population in mcommerce adoption.  There were a variety of
reasons for this, affluent consumers tended to fall into older age
brackets and those consumers were in the early stages of mobile
adoption. Also, affluent shoppers liked the personal service and
attention from shopping in store.  New research suggests that luxury
shoppers now expect retailers to be mobile-ly optimized and are active
mcommerce participants.

• Over half of affluent shoppers expect the brands they shop to have a mobile site and 49% anticipate them to have a mobile app

• Over 40% think these brands should have mobile purchasing functionality and over one-third expect the mobile site to offer the same assortment of products & services as the retailer’s desktop site

•  Over a quarter of luxury shoppers own a tablet compared to roughly 16% of US web users

• Nearly 60% of digital luxury shoppers have made a mobile purchase compared to 12% of total smart phone owners

• The median age of a digital luxury shopper in the US is 37%, which is much younger than the median age of a mainstream digital shopper.  Their median age is 44

What Does This Mean To You?

If your business targets upper-end consumers, mobile is a must have.  Not having a mobile site could eliminate half of your potential target shoppers.  Not having a mcommerce option could purge 40% of them from your customer base.  This buying segment values service as well as convenience.  Things like mobile chat and mobile product videos are things that will enhance their experience and build loyalty to your business.  The fact that these shoppers are more inclined to be tablet owners also gives you more options to improve their shopping experience.  Large screen sizes and enhanced features can help you better show off everything you have to offer.  For more information on how your business can engage the luxury mobile consumer

please contact your Sun Sentinel representative or:
Julie Otto
Advertising Marketing Manager
954.425.1158
jotto@sunsentinel.com
http://www.sunsentinel.com/mediakit

Source: Mobile Commerce Daily; Forrester

The Mobile Future

Last week, we published a post on the huge growth of mobile shopping year over year.  Mobile allows you put your message in the palms of prospective consumer’s hands on devices they have with them most of the time. New research has come out that looks into the future growth of mcommerce and the devices consumers will be using.

• In 2013, it’s estimated that over $38 billion in mcommerce will take place. Over 60% is projected to take place on tablets

• By 2016, mcommerce is anticipated to reach over $86 billion.

• Over the next few years, tablets are expected to be the main conduit for mobile shopping.  By 2016, $7 out of every $10 in mobile spending will come from a tablet

From now to 2016, mobile sales via tablet are predicted to grow by over 150%.  Mcommerce from smart phones are likely to grow by over 80%

What Does This Mean To You?

Mobile is constantly evolving and that means more ways for you to influence prospective customers & more ways for consumers to find your business and buy things from you.  It also means there are more ways for your competition to take business away from you.  It’s important for you not to think of your marketing plans and mobile tactics as set in stone.  Be ready to pivot as new technology becomes available and consumer’s use of mobile technology changes. Things like mobile payment adoption, more uses for near field communication and increased acceptance of augmented reality can increase convenience for mobile users  and increased engagement with your business.  For more information on how to stay ahead of the mobile curve, please contact your Sun Sentinel representative or:
Julie Otto
Advertising Marketing Manager
954.425.1158
jotto@sunsentinel.com
www.sunsentinel.com/mediakit

Source: eMarketer

Making Mobile Shopping More Convenient

In yesterday’s post, we looked at research that showed what tablet shoppers thought would make their experience better. Today, we’re going to look at overall mobile shopping and the factors that could make it more convenient for consumers.  Convenience is one of the factors driving the rapid growth in mobile.  The convenience of having the device around at all times, the convenience of nearly instantaneous web access and the convenience of mobile sites.  New research is available that looks at what consumers think would make
shopping via mobile more convenient.  This can help your business build a
better mcommerce strategy.

•

he most important thing to mobile shoppers was the finding the products they want to buy – nearly one in four mobile shoppers answered that way

• One in six mobile shoppers wanted the checkout process to be easier, 16% said that it should be easy to check out

• Just over 10% were looking for easier access to their billing information and 8% wanted improved sharing tools

What Does This Mean To You?

As we’ve seen in prior posts, mobile shopping is sharply on the rise.  As consumers are becoming more mobile-ly enabled, they expect more from your mobile offerings. If your site is not convenient to use and navigate, consumers will look to other competitive sites. One of the things to measure is your rate of shopping cart abandonment.  This will help you gauge your checkout process.  The ability to share was lower on the list of mobile “wants” but can be important in the future.  Social is rapidly becoming a mobile-first function.  Sharing is one of the chief functions of social shopping.  The more consumers share your products, the more exposure your brand and products receive. For more information on how to increase the results from your mcommerce tactics, please contact your Sun Sentinel representative or:
Julie Otto
Advertising Marketing Manager
954.425.1158
jotto@sunsentinel.com
www.sunsentinel.com/mediakit

Source: Mobile Commerce Daily; SiteWorx

Creating a Better Tablet Shopping Experience

Earlier this week, we should information on how smart phone shoppers and tablet shoppers differed in their holiday purchasing activities.  Tablet shoppers were more likely than smart phone shoppers to make purchases.  New research has come out that shows what features make tablet shopping more convenient.

• Ease of finding products was the top reason at 22%

• 13% of users said that being able to get reviews and rating were important

• Another 13% wanted an easy checkout system

• 8% indicated that they required access to billing information through the tablet

• 6% thought that social activities such as sharing projects with friends was something wanted

What Does This Mean To You?

Tablet shoppers are important. Not only are they a great demographic,
their numbers are rapidly increasing.   If consumers move away from apps
as a tablet function, you will want to incorporate these attributes
into your WAP functionality.  It’s always a good idea to watch how your
customers are using technology and listen to how you think your
offerings could be improved.  Businesses who respond to customer wants
usually perform better.  Some things they want may not be financially
feasible or technologically possible today, but we never know what the
future may bring as the speed of innovation continues increase. For more information on creating revenue from tablet shoppers, please contact your Sun Sentinel representative or:
Julie Otto
Advertising Marketing Manager
954.425.1158
jotto@sunsentinel.com
www.sunsentinel.com/mediakit

Source: Mobile Commerce Daily; SiteWorx

Mobile Web vs. Apps Over The Holidays

Apps are one of the things that makes mobile devices special.  They can also be fairly expensive for a small business to develop.  Over the holidays, a record number of apps were downloaded but evidence suggests that consumers are not too keen on single store apps for shopping.  A new report looks into app vs. WAP use and what might make a shopper visit a single store app.

• 66% of smart phone users preferred to use a retail store’s mobile site vs. downloading their app

• When asked what would encourage them to download an app, nearly 20% said a special offer

•  11% said that the app would need to be faster than the store’s mobile site

• One in 10 said that their needed to be loyalty benefits to using the app

• Five percent said that the checkout process must be streamlined

• Over half of smart phone shoppers surveyed said that there were no benefits that would encourage them to download a single retailer app

What Does This Mean To You?

For a single store, their mobile site is much more valuable to shoppers than their custom app.
Developing an app can be cost and resource intensive, if your business is still interested in an app – remember what consumers want. They want discounts and speed.  They also want conveniences such as stored information to make checking out easier.  The other option is to investigate aggregator shopping apps or advertising positions on other apps.  This gives you the benefit of added traffic without the expense of developing an app.  One of the things you need to do is promote the fact you are involved in these apps.  For more information on forging winning mobile strategies, please contact your Sun Sentinel representative or:
Julie Otto
Advertising Marketing Manager
954.425.1158
jotto@sunsentinel.com
www.sunsentinel.com/mediakit

Source: Mobile Commerce Daily; SiteWorx

How Consumers Used Mobile Devices Over The Holidays

From prior posts, we’ve chronicled information on much mobile shopping activity was done this past holiday season. Today, we’ll look at what types of shopping activity were done via smart phone and tablet.  This information can help you fine tune your mobile strategies for the future.

• One-third of smart phone owners used their device to look up store hours, directions and locations. 20% of tablet owners looked for the same information

• 19% of smart phone owners and 18% of tablet owners read product reviews on their devices respectively

• Tablet owners were 28% more likely than smart phone owners to compare prices on their devices

• The biggest difference was in making a purchase.  13% of smart phone owners bought something over the holidays on their device.  19% of tablet owners completed a sale on their device

What Does This Mean To You?

While smart phones and tablets are both mobile devices, how consumers use them is different.  Smart phones are used much more often in-store or in transit than tablets.  This makes sense – it’s bad enough to see people drive and use their smart phone, image them trying to type on a tablet and drive.  Also, while many tablets are 3G & 4G enabled, many more are run from wifi.
Research suggests that consumers use tablet more to complete the sale.  Users are checking prices and buying items more often on tablets.  One of the big buzz words you’ll be hearing more about this year is device agnostic.  It basically means that that users will have the same digital experience on whatever device they connect with.  Layouts will automatically scale to the screen size of the device that are accessing on no matter if it’s a smart phone, tablet or phablet (new buzzword alert. A phablet is described as a smaller sized tablet – usually with a 5 inch screen).  These design improvements can help you better display your merchandise to mobile users.  For more information on how your mobile site can contribute more to your bottom line, please contact your Sun Sentinel representative or:
Julie Otto
Advertising Marketing Manager
954.425.1158
jotto@sunsentinel.com
www.sunsentinel.com/mediakit

Source: Mobile Commerce Daily; SiteWorx