In a new study by Salesforce’s ExactTarget, 2014 Mobile Behavior Report, nine out of 10 U.S. consumers said that having access to content how and when the want it is either important or very important. More than one out of two consumers (54%) said that it’s easier to find the information they need on mobile websites, but the same percentage of consumers also believe that mobile websites fail to provide enough content.
The study results came from a survey of 470 mobile customers as well as Exact Target’s smartphone and tablet tracking data. As part of the research, ExactTarget also tracked visits to ten popular websites via mobile websites and mobile apps and found that many people prefer mobile apps over mobile websites.
Keep in mind, given the statistics in the first paragraph that state consumers think it’s easier to find the information they need on mobile websites but the same number of consumers think there isn’t enough content on mobile websites, it can be assumed that mobile apps currently offer more of the content consumers are looking for than mobile websites offer.
Additional statistics that could affect your brand and mobile marketing strategies follow:
- 85% of survey respondents stated that mobile devices are a central part of their everyday lives (90% for the 18-24 age demographic).
- Facebook traffic is fairly consistent throughout the day but traffic to Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube peaks in the morning between 8:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. with a secondary peak in the evening between 9:00 p.m. and 12:00 a.m. Pinterest traffic peaks in the evening and night.
- Respondents spend an average of 3.3 hours per day on their smartphones.
- 41% of respondents use their smartphones and tablets at the same time at least once per day.
- 91% of smartphone user respondents check their email on a mobile device at least once per day.
- 90% of smartphone user respondents send or receive text messages on a mobile device at least once per day.
- 76% of smartphone user respondents use search tools on a mobile device at least once per day.
- 75% of smartphone user respondents use social media on a mobile device at least once per day.
It’s also important for brands to note that 83% of consumers who responded to the ExactTarget survey believe that a seamless experience across all devices is important to them. In terms of content, 41% of respondents said that they don’t opt into brand text messages because those messages don’t provide meaningful content.
With those statistics in mind, brands need to up their games both in creating more mobile web-friendly content and creating more relevant mobile content across devices and brand experiences. Are you up to the challenge?
Image: Sean MacEntee
Susan Gunelius is the author of 10 marketing, social media, branding, copywriting, and technology books, and she is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She also owns Women on Business, an award-wining blog for business women. She is a featured columnist for Entrepreneur.com and Forbes.com, and her marketing-related articles have appeared on websites such as MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, TodayShow.com, and more.
She has over 20 years of experience in the marketing field having spent the first decade of her career directing marketing programs for some of the largest companies in the world, including divisions of AT&T and HSBC. Today, her clients include large and small companies around the world and household brands like Citigroup, Cox Communications, Intuit, and more. Susan is frequently interviewed about marketing and branding by television, radio, print, and online media organizations, and she speaks about these topics at events around the world. You can connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Google+.
