Smartphone and Mobile App Usage Patterns

Ten years ago people used cell phones to make phone calls and send text messages and that was about it, but with the modern smart phone, usage indicates much different patterns of behavior on how this communications device is utilized.

Smartphone usage in many ways mirrors daily activities. Social networks and game playing are the two busiest components of daily mobile app interaction.  comScore research shows that 37% of all U.S. mobile users accessed social networks via mobile applications on their phones in May of this year and that a full 34% of all U.S. mobile consumers played games. Both of these numbers are double digit increases over what we were seeing two years ago.

Nielsen states that the minutes spent per month on mobile apps more than doubled from March 2011 to March 2012. Most of the time-consuming mobile activities such as games and social networks are accessed through mobile apps. In contrast to this their study shows that time spent on the mobile web was basically flat in terms of growth. Nielsen found that users are spending more time using mobile apps than on the mobile web with 73 percent of the time last year spent on apps. Ericsson ConsumerLab has determined that 69 percent of smartphone owners use apps daily.

One area that really stands out and is literally exploding in the United States is mobile commerce. It is expected to be a $10 billion industry this year, up from $6 billion in 2010. Nielsen research points out that 89% of smartphone owners have used their phone while shopping in stores. Smartphone users use mobile applications in a variety of different ways when it comes to retail, they access digital coupons, engage in research and read reviews, and make mobile payments.

Setting up your business in a way to capitalize on boom in mobile commerce would clearly be a wise decision. Looking at the patterns of usage and plan your mobile applications to fulfill the usage patterns that are in place and you will clearly be positioning your business ahead of your competition that is ignoring these trends.