Mobile devices are playing a critical role in the entertainment research and planning process for a majority of smartphone and iPad users, according to a new study by Greystripe, the world’s largest brand-focused mobile ad network and a division of ValueClick, Inc. (Nasdaq:VCLK).
The study, which Greystripe conducted on its network, revealed that 53 percent of smartphone users and 27 percent of iPad users search for movie listings, times and locations on their devices.
Good news for film studios
This is good news for film studios, which can now target movie marketing directly at consumers on the go, looking for films to watch.“Not only are mobile users going to the movies frequently, they are using their mobile devices at every step of the process, from learning about new movies and watching trailers to scouting times and locations, finding the theatre and even completing the process with a purchase.”
The study also finds that participants are using their smartphones and iPads to discover new movies, interact with movie ads, watch trailers, and purchase tickets and DVDs.
Greystripe collected data from 546 users on its network of iPhone, iPod Touch, Android and iPad devices during a one-month-long period from November 1, 2011 to November 30, 2011 to better understand how mobile users are interacting with their smart-devices to research, discover, plan and pay for entertainment.
The study found iPad and touch smartphone users are a key movie-watching demographic, with 39 percent and 41 percent, respectively, watching movies over four times a year.
According to the study, the most common entertainment-related mobile activities for iPad and smartphone users are viewing movie times, locating theaters and watching mobile trailers. These actions are all performed most commonly using a native app, not on the mobile web.
Greystripe also found that mobile videos are capturing the attention of participants with approximately half of smartphone and iPad users, 56 percent and 45 percent respectively, saying they are most intrigued by video ads.
In addition, a majority of smartphone and iPad users, 69 percent and 59 percent respectively, said they watch movie trailers on their mobile device.
The study also uncovered the critical role advertising plays in entertainment-based decisions made by mobile users, with advertising emerging as the top format for new movie discovery and decision-making:
65 percent of smartphone users and 67 percent of iPad users find out about new movies from advertising
52 percent of smartphone users and 44 percent of iPad users decide which movies to see based on movie advertisements
Of the users who base their movie decisions on advertisements, 67 percent of smartphone users and 58 percent of iPad users have interacted with entertainment ads on their respective mobile devices
“Mobile is an essential platform for any movie advertiser looking to grab the attention and interest of frequent moviegoers,” said Jim Zarley, CEO of ValueClick. “Not only are mobile users going to the movies frequently, they are using their mobile devices at every step of the process, from learning about new movies and watching trailers to scouting times and locations, finding the theatre and even completing the process with a purchase.”
Some mobile users are going a step further and utilizing their smartphones and iPads to make purchases, with 15 percent of smartphone users and 13 percent of iPad users purchasing movie tickets on their mobile device. Furthermore, 10 percent of smartphone users and 13 percent of iPad users purchase DVDs on their mobile device.
More than half of Federal employees use at least one mobile device at work, CDW-G found, and many are using personal devices to accomplish work-related tasks. Nearly all Federal employees who use a mobile device for work believe the device makes them more productive, and the majority say increased mobility will improve citizen service.“Mobility is the ‘new normal’ for Federal employees”
The report, based on a survey of 414 Federal employees and IT staff, examines current trends in mobility, how agency IT professionals are managing mobile devices, and the steps they are taking to secure Federal data.
Mobility is no longer just a nice-to-have capability, CDW-G found: Nearly all 203 Federal IT professionals (99 percent) said they have deployed mobile devices to their agency workforce. What’s more, 62 percent of those IT professionals said their agencies allow employees to use personal devices for work.
“Mobility is the ‘new normal’ for Federal employees,” said Bob Kirby, vice president of federal government for CDW-G. “Employees increasingly expect to be able to work anywhere and at any time. Agencies responded first by deploying mobile devices, and now they are enabling use of personal devices. And the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) trend is likely to continue, following the Obama administration’s November 2011 executive order that asked agencies to limit the number of IT devices they issue to employees, including mobile devices, in order to reduce costs.”
Agencies are providing a good security baseline for mobile device use, with the majority establishing mobile data security policies (85 percent) and requiring data security training for mobile device users (84 percent). However, CDW-G found that there is room for agencies to improve security measures in order to protect sensitive data. For example, while 82 percent of IT professionals said their agency deployed encryption for mobile devices, far fewer said their agency protects mobile devices with multi-factor authentication (54 percent), remote lock and wipe (45 percent), and data loss prevention software (39 percent).
“Federal employees – just like those in other industries – access a wide variety of data in the course of their jobs, from financial information to employee and taxpayer records to email and social networking accounts,” Kirby said. “Employees understand the need to keep private information just that – private. But as cyber threats become increasingly sophisticated, they need a full suite of security tools to help them.”
Mobile device management (MDM) – over-the-air distribution of applications, data and configuration settings for all types of mobile devices – can help agencies deploy and manage security tools across the mobile workforce, while reducing IT management costs. While 71 percent of Federal IT professionals say they include MDM in their security efforts, CDW-G found that most are not deploying a full suite of security tools to agency and personal devices via MDM, revealing an opportunity to improve agencies’ security posture.
CDW-G recommends that agencies:
Evaluate and/or establish a BYOD policy
Assess their MDM needs
Audit their MDM tools to ensure they support the agency’s security goals
Incorporate the personal devices employees use for work into the agency’s MDM strategy
The CDW-G Federal Mobility Report surveyed 203 Federal IT staff and 211 Federal employees. The margin of error for the total sample is ± 4.8 percent at a 95 percent confidence level.
As sweethearts make plans for their sweeties this Valentine’s Day, they would be wise to think about buying electronics instead of traditional gifts for the women in their lives. According to a new study from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), Women in CE, electronics are a desired purchase among both sexes.
“Forget pink. Women don’t want to be catered to with ultra-feminine looking products; they simply prefer lightweight devices that can fit smaller hands and smaller body frames”
The new study found that women’s interest in technology has increased in the years since CEA’s 2007 The Truth About Women and Consumer Electronics study, with eight in 10 women now expressing an interest in CE products and nearly half of those (41 percent) saying they were “very interested” in CE. This is an increase of 10 percentage points over the previous study.
Men continue to outspend women on overall CE purchases, but the gap between genders is shrinking. On average, men spent $728 on CE purchases in the past 12 months, while women spent $667 during that same time period, a difference of $61.
In the 2007 study, the spending gap between men and women was closer to $200. Women also exert a significant amount of influence in most CE purchases. Six in 10 (61 percent) women initiate or are involved in the process in which a CE product is actually purchased.
Women, however, are far less likely to claim ownership of most CE products. The study shows that women are more likely to consider CE products as “household” products, meaning they consider ownership of the device, such as TVs and DVD players, to be shared with a spouse, partner, roommate or child.
However, when it comes to newer and mobile technologies, such as e-readers, notebook computers and smartphones, women were more likely than men to claim sole ownership.
“This Valentine’s Day, the way to a women’s heart just might be through electronics,” said Jessica Boothe, manager of strategic research, CEA, who oversaw this study. “Women want technology more than ever and they view electronics as very personal devices that can be toted around and customized with private information.”
When shopping for their next CE device, men and women both cite the same purchase factor as most important: price. Ease of use, warranty and multiple functionality are the next most important purchasing factors among both sexes.
Also important to women is product size and weight, something that generally is less of a concern among men. Color ranks near the bottom as a factor among women when buying electronics.
“Forget pink. Women don’t want to be catered to with ultra-feminine looking products; they simply prefer lightweight devices that can fit smaller hands and smaller body frames,” said Boothe. “Women play many roles, like mother, spouse and career women, and CE products that can perform many functions are a necessity.”
The Women and CE study also concluded that women are more likely than men to find that electronics can simplify their life. More than three out of four women (77 percent) say “CE makes life easier,” compared with 69 percent among men. Eighty-four percent (84 percent) of women also agreed that “CE makes it easier to keep in touch,” compared with 78 percent for men.
In the ten years Ian Jones, founder of mobile app company meet.com, marketed online dating sites from Friendfinder to Match.com, he tried most of them out – without success.
“I didn’t have one successful meeting,” Jones says.
His complaints about the online dating sites echo those of many others – he would discover that the photos the women he contacted had posted were a decade old. Or they sounded great online but didn’t come across so well in subsequent phone conversations.
So, in 2010, Jones decided to do something about that and created meet.com, a mobile app set to launch in March that already has 700,000 pre-joins acquired through affiliates and marketing.
Presenting at SEVC
The company, which has about 20 employees and currently has a single angel investor, will present its business plan at the upcoming Southeast Venture Conference in Tysons Corner, VA, Feb. 29-March 1. The 6h annual SEVC highlights both early and later stage investment opportunities from: Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington DC.
What makes it different?
Jones tells us that one of the biggest surprises in setting up his startup firm was the “overwhelming support for the meet.com brand and the growth in the smartphone and mobile app markets.”
The brand name is one of the things that differentiates meet.com from its competitors, says Jones. “It has a much higher response rate than ‘Scout,’ or ‘Blender,’ or ‘Grinder,’ based on our research, he notes.
Another differentiating feature is the way the app will work with Facebook. It allows users to connect via Facebook and even communicate with Facebook friends for free after downloading and installing it.
Jones assures us that the app will have strong privacy and security settings and users will be in control of who they connect with.
Once users communicate with people outside their network, however, a $4.99 a month charge begins via the iTunes or Android market stores.
Jones says the app is initially going to work with the iPhone and Android operating systems with Blackberry coming along a bit later.
There are other mobile apps out there that connect people on the go, but Jones says “Our matching technology is superior, our look and feel is superior, and our privacy settings are superior.”
Jones says he thinks we’ll all be experience a “mobile bubble” that will be much more significant that the dot com boom was in the next few years.
Mobile advantages
Mobile has advantages. People are more willing to pay for mobile apps than they ever seemed to be for online services, for instance. “There is much more acceptance from consumers,” Jones says. “It’s much more common for people to push a button and buy a 99 cent or $5.00 app than it is for them to pull out a credit card and charge $19.95.”
Part of the reason for the increased acceptance on the part of consumers is that it’s more secure than online purchases, he suggests.
“People have their credit cards on file with the iTunes store or Android and there are no charge back issues.”
In terms of dating itself, the immediacy of the way the meet.com app works when people are actually on the go and out and about is a major difference from the stale photos and descriptions on online services.
The U.S. dating services market is a now a $2.1 billion business, with online dating services soaring in popularity since 2001 and representing 53% of the market’s value, according to a recent report from Market Research. But, dating website revenues are expected to grow only 7.5% this year as the U.S. market becomes saturated with 1,500+ sites and free dating sites and competition from popular social networking sites attracts cost-conscious singles, the report says.
In the not too distant future he thinks the prices on smartphones will fall even further, greatly reducing or eliminating any price barriers to consumer adoption.
Meet.com is seeking under $500,000 in an angel round and will present the details of its business plan to investors representing literally billions in capital at the SEVC.
Here’s the company’s video description of its product:
Contractors and trade professionals are relying on smartphones and other mobile technology like laptops and tablets to assist in purchase decision-making, according to a national research study conducted by Eric Mower + Associates Group B2B.
The study found that 50 percent of contractors use a smartphone, 49 percent use a laptop with mobile web access, and 21 percent use an iPad or other tablet for their jobs, suggesting more business purchase research and decisions are being conducted online from the jobsite rather than behind a desk.
Tool and building materials brands are most important (65 percent) to contractors when they are on the job and need to replace or replenish a tool.
Of those with a smartphone, more than half (53 percent) use it in the purchase decision-making process to do things like research brands and products, compare prices and scan product codes.
Most use smartphones
The majority of contractors said they use smartphones (56 percent) to take photos of work projects to refer to when shopping for building materials and tools.
“With so many professional contractors accessing the web from the jobsite, brands need to be sure their websites are mobile-, video- and app-ready,” said John O’Hara, partner and leader of EMA’s Contractor Insight specialty. “Brands need to think beyond search—even if prospective customers find a manufacturer’s website, will they be able to see it on their phones or watch videos to see how the products work?”
The survey found that 91 percent of contractors use websites to assist in purchase decision-making. The majority (88 percent) said manufacturer websites are the best sources for brand and product information; 70 percent said that product demonstration videos are important.
“One of the top reasons contractors said they would try a new brand is innovation,” said O’Hara.
“But innovation shouldn’t stop at product; brands need to be innovative online so contractors can find their products from a mobile device. The construction industry has already adopted smartphones and tablets at higher-than-average rates and brands need to address their new shopping habits.”
50 percent using mobile devices
The study’s results confirm that contractors are nearly on par with other B2B decision-makers in their use of smartphones.
A December 2010 report by Channel Marketing Group and Allen Ray Associates reveals that about 50 percent of contractors they surveyed are using mobile devices to purchase products, conduct day-to-day business and take photos. According to a 2011 Emarketer report, 59 percent of U.S. B2B purchasing decision-makers use a smartphone.
The EMA study was administered online to 500 general contractors, electricians, plumbers and HVAC specialists. More than 90 percent of respondents have at least six years’ professional experience.
Success with mobile apps begins with targeting the right audience, according to a new IDC study.
IDC’sConsumerScape 360° research program has identified six distinct consumer market segments: Tech Evangelists, Impulse Buyers, Experimental Adopters, Pragmatic Purchasers, Green Buyers, and Disengaged Functionalists.
One market segment in particular, Tech Evangelists, was found to be particularly influential when it comes to mobile apps.
Tech evangelists drive adoption
“Tech evangelists not only own the most devices and utilize the most advanced functions, features, and apps, they are also the group that drives adoption of device ownership and usage by other market segments”
“Tech evangelists not only own the most devices and utilize the most advanced functions, features, and apps, they are also the group that drives adoption of device ownership and usage by other market segments,” said Michael DeHart, director of IDC’s Global ConsumerScape 360° program.
Tech Evangelists are not only deeply involved in app usage, but also the most educated consumers about apps and technology in general, leading others to seek out their advice. Their spending on technology and apps is expected to increase at least 10% in 2012 compared to 2011, even in the currently impaired economy.
“In terms of formulating a strategy for the prioritization of app development and marketing, focusing on Tech Evangelists’ download and usage of apps will deliver the largest ROI by far in terms of segment-based app development and marketing,” added DeHart.
IDC’s ConsumerScape 360° research reveals other key insights into mobile apps:
Free apps comprise 85% of the total app market.
The most popular free apps are gaming, music, social networking, weather, news, entertainment and navigation.
In the paid apps market, the most popular categories are music, games, navigation, entertainment, and books — a category that does not perform well in the free app space.
App usage varies by country as well as by market segment. Generally speaking, categories of apps preferred are relatively stable across market segments, but the rates of download and usage vary dramatically.
South Korean consumers, are most likely of all smartphone users worldwide to download both free and paid apps. Swedish and American consumers are also highly app-engaged smartphone users. (See related figure at http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS23279312.)
During the 2011 holiday season and throughout 2011, tablet visitors spent more per purchase than visitors using smartphones or traditional desktops and laptops, according to inaugural Adobe® Digital Marketing Insights report, designed to provide marketing, e-commerce, and retail executives with critical intelligence about digital marketing.
The results suggesting that tablet visitors were the most valuable online customers in 2011.“This study shows the importance of optimizing your 2012 e-tail strategy for tablet visitors to avoid the risk of underserving a highly-profitable, fast-growing customer segment.”
Key Report Findings Included
Tablet visitors spent 54 percent more than smartphone visitors and 21 percent more per purchase than desktop/laptop visitors.
Tablet visitors were nearly three times more likely to buy products and services online than smartphone visitors and were nearly as likely to purchase as desktop/laptop visitors.
“Adobe has long championed the need for retailers to optimize their sites for mobile visitors, and the results of this study indicate that tablet devices have become an absolutely critical new sales channel that marketers must address head-on,” said Brad Rencher, senior vice president and general manager, Adobe Digital Marketing Business.
“This study shows the importance of optimizing your 2012 e-tail strategy for tablet visitors to avoid the risk of underserving a highly-profitable, fast-growing customer segment.”
Optimizing websites for mobile devices, such as smartphones, is now becoming common practice. However, with the emergence of the iPad and Android tablets, companies now face additional mobile optimization requirements in order to provide enticing online shopping experiences.
If retailers treat mobile and tablet optimization strategies alike, they may fail to leverage the power of tablet visitors, which the study suggests, convert nearly three times more frequently than smartphone visitors.
Why Tablet Visitors Spend More
The Adobe study suggests that demographics of tablet visitors, as well as the flexibility of the overall tablet user experience, contribute to higher tablet visitor profitability. Tablet visitors are typically males between the ages of 18-34 years old and tend to be more affluent than other online shoppers. Higher income levels among tablet owners is just one part of the story. Tablet users also have higher usage rates over the weekend, when there is more time to shop online.
Download the full Adobe Digital Marketing Insights report here or at CMO.com.
Do you find yourself lusting for that new iPad tablet, Kindle Fire or spiffy smartphone a co-worker is using? If so, you’re not alone. Seventy three percent identified smartphones, tablets, e-readers and HDTVs as their favorites and 30 percent reported being “very envious” of the devices their colleagues brought into the workplace, according to Captivate Network.
The Captivate Office Pulse also identified the most envious people in the workplace. The research found that 60 percent of those displaying tech envy are working moms who are more than 30 years old with annual household incomes of less than$125,000.
“With the prevalence of personal technology around the office, and the high frequency that it’s shared – 40 percent reported regularly seeing co-workers using tech devices – it’s not surprising that tech envy occurs,” said Scott Marden, research director at Captivate Network. “Overall, we found that professionals want what they don’t have – whether it’s an upgrade to an existing device or the next new technology.”
Thirty percent of respondents reported they are very envious of the technology their colleagues have and they do not. However, rather than wishing people would be quiet about their new acquisitions, thirty five percent of people would like to hear and see more. The following table illustrates the attitudes of white-collar workers toward the devices they want and their colleagues have:
Average number of
co-workers seen
with each device
Very Envious
Want to Hear More
Smart Phone
3.6
24%
29%
Tablet
2.2
39%
39%
E-reader
2.3
36%
59%
HDTV
1.4
11%
11%
Things are similar when it comes to technology owned by friends/family, with 26 percent responding they are envious of others’ devices and 39 percent saying they would like to see and hear more. The following table illustrates the attitudes of white-collar workers toward the devices they want and their friends/family have:
Average number of
friends/family seen
with each device
Very Envious
Want to Hear More
Smart Phone
3.2
22%
33%
Tablet
1.9
34%
43%
E-reader
1.8
33%
52%
HDTV
2.2
13%
26%
As illustrated above, people are exposed to more technology in the workplace –and reported higher levels – than with friends/family. Regardless of location, many people want to learn more about the devices they see others using.
Have and Want
“With CES wrapped up and a host of new tech toys in people’s hands following the holidays, we also thought it was a good time to look into people’s general attitudes toward consumer technology,” said Marden. “Not only do the results of this Office Pulse provide a glimpse into what devices people have and love, but it also lets us know what they wish they had.”
When asked to name their favorite technology, 73 percent of respondents named the following four devices: smartphones (43 percent), tablets (15 percent), e-readers (8 percent) and HDTVs (7 percent).
While smartphones are the most popular devices among all groups, there were differences in device preference based on income, age and gender. Affluents, for example, are most fond of tablets, while women like e-readers far more than men. Here is the breakdown of respondents’ favorite technologies:
Device
<$100k
>$100k
18-44
>45
Women
Men
Smartphone
43%
45%
48%
33%
43%
45%
Tablet
12%
21%
14%
16%
15%
15%
E-reader
7%
7%
7%
10%
10%
4%
HDTV
9%
4%
4%
13%
6%
9%
When it comes to the devices people want, 54 percent identified the following: smartphones (32 percent), tablets (12 percent), e-readers (6 percent) and HDTVs (4 percent). Here is the breakdown of people’s desired devices by income, age and gender:
Device
<$100k
>$100k
18-44
>45
Women
Men
Smartphone
30%
31%
32%
31%
32%
31%
Tablet
11%
16%
11%
13%
11%
13%
E-reader
7%
3%
6%
4%
7%
5%
HDTV
4%
4%
4%
4%
3%
6%
Usage and Favorite Brands
While there are many areas of similarity in terms of the devices people have and those they want, there are differences in where people use their devices.
Smartphone
Tablet
E-reader
AT HOME (Aggregate)
100%
100%
100%
Family room
94%
87%
81%
Bedroom
89%
88%
85%
Kitchen/Dining room
87%
68%
36%
Bathroom
65%
42%
30%
Laundry
30%
7%
13%
AT OFFICE (Aggregate)
96%
63%
57%
At my desk
92%
52%
47%
During lunch with co-workers
61%
17%
19%
Office gathering/party
47%
1%
2%
In the restroom
44%
7%
6%
During meetings
34%
19%
2%
In the kitchen/pantry
36%
7%
6%
Lunch meetings
29%
11%
2%
At my boss or co-worker’s desk
29%
10%
6%
ON MY COMMUTE
84%
48%
55%
Although there are a growing number of tablet and smartphone brands to choose from, Apple products were the most desired. For HDTVs and e-readers, Samsung and Kindle were named most, respectively, followed by Sony (for TVs) and Nook (for e-readers).
Top Brand Desired
Total Adults
Tablet
iPad
80%
Smartphone
iPhone
73%
E-reader
Kindle
60%
HDTV
Samsung
25%
“Our Office Pulse studies continue to demonstrate the influence that co-workers have on each other,” continued Marden. “People love their technology, they carry devices with them, they talk about and share them, want to learn more about them – and this interest, in many cases, induces a new purchase.”
The number of personal mobile devices connecting to the corporate network has more than doubled in the past two years — with nearly half of devices storing sensitive data.
The report, The Impact of Mobile Devices on Information Security, shows 71 percent of businesses believe mobile devices have caused an increase in security incidents, citing significant concerns about the loss and privacy of sensitive information stored on employee devices, including corporate email (79%), customer data (47%) and network login credentials (38%).
Smartphones and tablet PCs continue to proliferate in corporate environments, presenting significant business benefits such as increased work efficiency and easy access to resources. While businesses are steadily accepting this trend, IT administrators struggle with securing the abundance of devices and operating systems, while also protecting their organization against data loss and the rise in mobile threats.
“The consumerization of IT is among the top concerns for CIOs this coming year and we wanted to assess from IT administrators the current security challenges they face when it comes to mobile computing,” said Juliette Sultan, head of global marketing at Check Point Software Technologies.
“The explosion of mobile devices connecting to the corporate network often creates greater opportunities for data loss and increased security management complexity. We anticipate this trend will continue to rise in 2012, encouraging enterprises to enforce the proper remote access policies to minimize the frequency, risk and costs associated with securing the mobile enterprise.”
Key Findings from the Report:
Rise in Mobile Devices Connecting to the Corporate Network – Approximately 94 percent of businesses surveyed have an increased number of personal mobile devices connecting to the corporate network, with 78% of respondents seeing the number of devices more than double in the last two years.
Most Common Mobile Devices and their Security Risks – Apple (30%) and BlackBerry (29%) were the most common types of mobile devices connecting to corporate networks, followed by Android (21%). Nearly half of respondents (43%) also believe Android devices pose a larger security risk to the mobile enterprise.
Employee Behavior Impacts Security of Mobile Data – The majority of businesses believe the lack of security awareness among employees as the greatest factor impacting mobile data — followed by mobile web browsing (61%), insecure Wi-Fi connectivity (59%), lost or stolen devices (58%) and malicious mobile application downloads (57%).
Correlation between Rise in Mobile Devices and Security Incidents – Approximately 71% of businesses believe smartphones and tablet PCs have contributed to an increase in the number of security events in their organizations within the past two years.
Many Mobile Devices Store Sensitive Customer and Business Data – Personal and corporate owned devices often store and access a variety of sensitive information including email (79%), customer data (47%) and login credentials (38%) for internal databases or business applications.
Mobile, handheld computers are changing the way people do business. A new report from GIA says that open source operating systems such as Google’s Android are expected to dominate the market going forward, while single-source systems such as Apple’s iOS and RIM are going to lose market share.
Increasing workforce mobility, coupled with the converging technologies, is driving the industry forward. The market for these devices has been robust over the recent years, especially in segments such as smartphones, laptops, and tablet PCs.
Advancement in design, features, and applications, together with the emergence of novel, open source operating systems, are driving the market for smartphones and tablet PCs. Rapid adoption of these devices is expected to propel the global demand for Handheld Computing Devices in the following years.
Handheld computing devices are capable of performing all functions of a conventional personal computer, and more. Also, these devices are far more convenient and handy than the bulky computer systems.
New-age handheld devices feature advanced applications, such as Internet accessibility and GPS navigation system, in addition to basic functionalities, making it superior than the traditional computer systems.
As technology developed and made inroads into the miniature gadget section, handheld computing devices began incorporating new forms of entertainment into their service delivery schemes. This has led to the proliferation of handheld devices with mobile media capabilities, allowing users to play games, watch movies and listen to songs, while on the move, and that too with excellent quality of picture and sound.
With the advent of Apple’s iPhone and the subsequent introduction of application store, the mobile phone market witnessed dramatic changes in hardware and mobile Internet browsing.
New and feature-rich Smartphones are expected to increasingly replace traditional and established PC market. The convenient size and design capabilities preferred by an increasing number of business travelers are the key reasons behind the growth of smartphones.
Also, with the growing availability of software applications, such as GPS Navigation Systems and Microsoft Windows Mobile, the borderlines between laptop and smartphones will gradually diminish.
Tablet PCs have made a remarkable start, with consumers flocking stores to own one of these devices. Apple, the trendsetter in this segment, garnered significant revenues from sales of iPads, the first in the league of tablet PCs to hit the market.
Media tablets are experiencing significant uptake from consumers, which is expected to witness further growth in the years that follow. As of 2010, around 30 media tablets or tablet PCs were launched or announced worldwide.
Rather than a deterrent, the trend is expected to act as an enabler of pushing consumers towards open OS devices. Consumers who already own an open OS smartphone would find it attractive to own a media tablet. In such cases, consumers are more likely to be drawn into devices with similar operating system.
Alternatively, consumers habituated to media tablets are likely to demand similar experiences in their smartphones, attracting them towards mobile phones with similar OS.
Open-Source operating platforms are expected to continue to rule the smart phones category. Operating platforms, such as Android, are expected to garner significant share in the market backing this trend. On the other hand, single-source operating systems such as RIM and iOS of Apple are expected to lose market share, despite continued growth in the following years.
Android’s success would also emerge from initiatives from leading mobile phone manufacturers such as Samsung and Sony Ericsson to launch Android in mass market mobile phones, further fostering volume growth in the market.
The trend in favor of open source platforms would be in part supported by the expected pruning in diversity of platforms offered by communication service providers, as it would benefit them by reducing support costs. Resultantly, the strategy would push the service providers to opt for platforms with high demand, which in turn would enable them to clarify their market proposition.
Marketers should take note of the exponentially rising sales of smartphones as a sign that mobile phone marketing is going to replace online marketing as the main way that advertisers reach the public. Mobile marketing advertisingbudgets will also see huge increases in 2012, according to the managing editor of Digital Marketer, the world’s leading online marketing newsletter.
About 43% of Americans with cellphone service own smartphones, according to Nielsen. But even with so many smartphones out there, the actual purchases made on smartphones have been low. In fact, prior to 2011, mobile marketing sales on smartphones accounted for less than 2% of all ecommerce in the USA, which was a clear sign to internet marketers to avoid the mobile hype until smartphones begin to command more of the ecommerce marketplace.
Some teachers selling mobile courses in the last few years have claimed 300% increases in overall USA ecommerce sales on smartphones; however this was a slightly deceiving number, as the full disclosure shows that the numbers were 0.2% increasing to 0.6% over several years, yes 300% but still less than 1% overall.
Overall ecommerce on smartphones in 2011 totaled approximately $5 billion.
Increase expected in mobile ad budgets this year
While this sounds like a big number, it represents less than 2 percent of the overall online commerce market in 2010. With less than 2% of all ecommerce being on smartphones, it has not been an attractive market for advertisers.
According to Digital Marketer, a pragmatic approach to mobile marketing has been wise up until now, but all signs point to increases in mobile marketing advertising budgets this year, driven by the exponential increase in smartphone sales.
In 2011 only 0.9% of advertising dollars went into mobile advertising; however, the mobile ecommerce statistics should start to improve in 2012. With the sheer number of smartphones being purchased, methods for purchasing using smartphones will surely be improved and then advertising should follow.
According to a survey by e-tailing, consumers cite the lack of shopping on smartphones to be due to the small screen size. But with bigger smartphone screens, there should be an increase in ecommerce purchases on smartphones as well.
Two 2012 predictions
Digital Marketer’s managing editor has made two predictions for 2012 in regards to mobile marketing trends:
“1) In 2012 , the marketers that best understand what mobile really is — the greatest self-selection marketing tool ever invented — will get in the fast lane and leave the rest behind.”
“2) Mobile technologies like NFC, GoogleWallet, and one-tap mobile payments will drastically change the way we pay for things — and it will make credit card companies very uncomfortable.”
Mobile and tablet users accounted for 10 percent of all U.S. search ad clicks during Q4 2011, according to a new report from Marin Software.
This represents a doubling of click share as a percent of total since Q3, 2011. Furthermore, the report reveals the click through rate (CTR) of search ads served on tablets, such as the iPad, was 38 percent higher than the CTR of ads on desktops.
Marin Software’s U.S. Online Advertising Report consists of key trends and statistics uncovered through an examination of the Marin Global Online Advertising Index. The Marin Global Online Advertising Index is comprised of data from more than 1000 large-scale advertisers and agencies that collectively spend in excess of $2.7 billion annually on biddable media through the Marin platform.
“In Q4 2011, we saw paid search marketers allocate a larger portion of budgets to mobile devices than ever before,” said Matt Lawson, Vice President of Marketing and Partnerships at Marin Software. “Given the favorable performance characteristics of mobile advertising today, we expect this trend to continue as advertising dollars begin to chase consumer behavior.”
Paid Search Key Findings:
During Q4 2011, 10 percent of all clicks on paid search ads in the U.S. were made either on a tablet (4 percent) or a smartphone (6 percent). Ads served to tablet devices provided a 37 percent higher CTR than ads on desktops while smartphones yielded a 31 percent higher CTR.
Across Google, Yahoo and Bing, paid search spend increased 35 percent, click volume increased 56 percent, CTR increased 23 percent and cost per click (CPC) decreased 14 percent during Q4 2011 on a year over year basis. The combination of improving CTRs and declining CPC, point to significant efficiency gains for advertisers over the past year.
Compared to 2010, search advertisers on Google saw a 48 percent increase in clicks during Q4 2011 without an accompanying increase in impressions. CTR on Google also increased 48 percent while CPC decreased 7 percent, suggesting large-scale advertisers realized efficiency gains through improved matching and more effective bidding.
On Yahoo and Bing, impressions increased 43 percent on a year over year basis, most likely as a result of advertisers building more robust search campaigns and increasing spend on the Search Alliance. Compared to Q4 2010, Yahoo and Bing advertisers realized a 44 percent increase in click volume, a 9 percent increase in CPC and a 1 percent boost in CTR during Q4 2011.
Marin Software’s U.S. Online Advertising Report also includes paid search findings specific to industry verticals, including Automotive, B2B, Education, Finance, Healthcare, Retail, and Travel.
A growing user acceptance of in-game purchases and a sharp rise in smartphone adoption will push sales of in-game items from $2.1 billion in 2011 to $4.8 billion in 2016, according to Juniper research.
The Continued Rise of Freemium
The report finds that as users became accustomed to the freemium model, particularly purchasing in-game items, the proportion of gamers who purchase these items will increase. This will be most apparent in the Social & Casual genre in which users are increasingly expecting entertaining and immersive gameplay from free or low cost games.
Personally, we haven’t bought any in-game items, although several of the first downloads we made to our Amazon Kindle Fire tablet were free games and they’re also always among the first apps we download to new smartphones we test or use.
Their popularity seems to transcend age and other demographics. The 80-year-old mother of a friend of ours enjoys playing solitaire card games on the Fire, young children love games aimed at them, and we can be seen shooting Angry Birds at laughing pigs at odd moments.
Benefits for Developers
Another driver for this increase is the growth in the number of game developers adopting the freemium model rather than the pay-per-download model. This is due to free games being downloaded in greater volume, potentially making the paying user base much larger. In-game purchases also provide an easy way of reducing piracy as the game is typically downloaded for free, and any purchases must be verified via the developers’ server.
According to report author Charlotte Miller, “An increasing number of games developers are finding the in-game purchase model attractive simply because it provides easy answers. Their piracy rate will drop and the game will see more downloads. However, while some games may generate significant revenues from in-game items, the model doesn’t work with all games and developers have to tread a fine line between encouraging purchases and appearing to be exploitative.”
Do you find yourself hunting for interesting stories, videos, games or other content on your new tablet, smartphone, console or ultra-light laptop? The unprecedented access to digital media via the proliferation of digital devices is driving up digital content consumption, says a new report.
Deloitte’s sixth edition “State of the Media Democracy” survey reveals that the introduction of new platforms has led to increases in the consumption of movies and books.
Deloitte’s State of the Media Democracy (sixth edition) survey assesses media consumption preferences of nearly 2,000 consumers, ages 14 to 75 years old in the United States, revealing significant trends including increased access to content driving consumption, smartphones continuing to challenge other devices, and the role of DVRs in preserving consumers’ cable and satellite television subscriptions.
Accessibility Drives Demand
Access to content is increasing American media consumption. Movies are available on a wider array of platforms – home TV via cable, satellite, DVD, pay-per-view and Internet, and online via streaming/downloading to a personal computer, gaming console, smartphone or tablet. As recently as 2009, only 28 percent of Americans reported streaming a movie; today, 42 percent report streaming.
Moreover, the number of people citing streaming delivery of a movie to their computer or television as their favorite way of watching a movie rose to 14 percent from 4 percent in 2009. Most tellingly, in 2007, 37 percent of people said that they had not viewed a movie, available for purchase or rental, during the past six months. In 2011, that percentage of non-consumers dropped to only 19 percent.
The phenomenon of eBook readers increasing consumer purchases of books is another encouraging sign that digital content married with new devices can increase consumption. While only 23 percent of respondents preferred to be able to download their books, magazines and newspapers to a digital device in 2007, more than one-third of respondents (36 percent) now express interest in this option.
Newspapers have also benefitted from increased accessibility via smartphones. This year’s survey found that 20 percent of leading millennials (respondents between the ages of 23 and 28) have read their favorite newspaper in the last six months on a smartphone – up from 9 percent last year.
Eleven percent of leading millennials have also stated that this is their favorite method for reading the newspaper – up from 3 percent last year.
“Our data shows that while Americans may be less interested in physical content, their appetite for digital content continues to grow. That appetite, coupled with the introduction of new technologies, is leading consumers to access the content they want on a number of different devices,” said Phil Asmundson, vice chairman and U.S. media & telecommunications sector leader, Deloitte LLP.
“Consumers may be watching fewer television shows and movies on TV, or reading fewer physical copies of books and newspapers, but they have not stopped consuming the content. They are simply watching or reading on different media or platforms.”
Smartphones Challenge Other Devices
Americans’ love of smartphones continues to grow. The number of households owning smartphones jumped to 42 percent in 2011 from 25 percent in 2009. Furthermore, the number of consumers interested in purchasing a smartphone in the near future increased to 52 percent in 2011 from 40 percent in 2010.
As adoption of smartphones grows, Americans are beginning to use them as “all in one” devices for a number of different tasks. In 2011 the survey found increases in Americans using: text messaging (up to 78 percent in 2011 from 71 percent in 2009), mobile online search (46 percent in 2011 compared to 30 percent in 2009, GPS for directions (37 percent in 2011 versus 22 percent in 2009) and even online banking, which was tracked for the first time in 2011 (19 percent).
“Smartphones allow consumers to greatly expand a phone’s functionality by downloading different applications. As the costs for these types of devices, apps and the wireless services that come with them continue to fall, consumers are starting to shift their behavior, taking advantage of connectivity, performance, and portability that rivals and often beats that of a laptop,” said Asmundson. “As 4G rollouts continue and new smartphone technology is introduced, makers of single purpose devices may need to adopt similar business models if they want to remain competitive.”
DVRs Represent an Opportunity for Cable and Satellite TV Providers
The survey also shows Americans value cable TV and satellite TV above most other services, and using a DVR is the second-most preferred means of watching one’s favorite TV show. Yet, only 44 percent of those surveyed have DVR functionality. This represents an opportunity for cable and satellite TV companies to provide this highly valued viewing capability to millions of additional Americans.
At the same time, a number of Americans have already cut, or are exploring cutting their pay TV connection entirely. Deloitte’s survey found that 9 percent of people have already cut the cord and 11 percent are considering doing so because they can watch almost all of their favorite shows online. An additional 15 percent of respondents said that they will most likely watch movies, television programs, and videos from online digital sources (via download or streamed over the Internet) in the near future.
“Consumers have shown that they value DVR functionality, yet the majority of Americans don’t have a DVR in the home. This represents a potential opportunity for cable and satellite TV providers,” said Asmundson. “In a world where consumers have other ways to access content, the DVR may be an underutilized service that could serve as a value-add for new and existing subscribers at minimal cost to cable and satellite TV companies.”
Smartphones are becoming the go-to device for many consumers who want to take photos and videos on the fly – and that’s slicing into the sale of some low-end cameras and camcorders.
According to leading market research company The NPD Group’s new Imaging Confluence Study (who names these things?), the share of U.S. consumers taking photos and videos on their smartphones has grown, while the camera and traditional camcorders share has declined.
The percent of photos taken with a smartphone (Apple iPhone or any other smartphone) went from 17 last year to 27 this year while the share of photos taken on any camera dropped from 52 percent to 44 percent.
“There is no doubt that the smartphone is becoming ‘good enough’ much of the time; but thanks to mobile phones, more pictures are being taken than ever before,” said Liz Cutting, executive director and senior imaging analyst at NPD.
Camcorders, low-end point and shoot cams hit by switch
“Consumers who use their mobile phones to take pictures and video were more likely to do so instead of their camera when capturing spontaneous moments, but for important events, single purpose cameras or camcorders are still largely the device of choice.”
Camcorders and lower-end point-and-shoot cameras appear to have taken the brunt of the movement to smartphones. According to NPD’s Retail Tracking Service, the point-and-shoot camera market was down 17 percent in units and 18 percent in dollars for the first 11 months of 2011.
Pocket camcorders were down 13 percent in units and 27 percent in dollars and traditional flash camcorders declined 8 percent in units and 10 percent in dollars.
There were, however, positive growth segments of the market.
Detachable lens cameras increased by 12 percent in units and 11 percent in dollars over the same time period, with an average price of $863; and point-and-shoot cameras with optical zooms of 10x or greater grew by 16 percent in units and 10 percent in dollars, with an average price of $247.
JP Morgan, Lightspeed Ventures and Amazon.com participated in this round, which Venture Beat reports is the first tranche of a $400 million raise.
The company has raised a total of $808 million. It has spent about $353 million to acquire SocialMedia.com, TicketMonster and Urban Escapes.
It delayed a planned $1 billion initial public offering of stock earlier this year.
LivingSocial presented at TechMedia’s 2009 Southeast Venture Conference (SEVC). The next SEVC is coming up in Tysons Corner, Va, Feb. 29-March 1.
For an overview of the daily deals space in 2011 see this infographic.
Apple job announcement hints at changes to Siri
After testing a number of smartphones and tablets, we’re convinced that voice control of these devices is the way to go. Typing on virtual keyboards may get better like all manual skills as one practices, but it’s never going to be an ideal way to use electronic devices.
Now, Apple has posted jobs for two iOS engineers to help develop an API for Siri, the voice personal assistant on the iPhone 4S. The API would extend the applications users could run with voice commands.
Many of the domain names will not be adult sites, but rather were registered by non-adult firms to prevent adult sites from sullying their brands.
Amazon launches $6M fund for indie Kindle authors
Amazon has started a new fund called KDP select, with $500,000 available for December to encourage authors to publish works exclusive on the Kindle for 90 days.
Russ Grandinetti, vice president of Kindle Content said,“By choosing KDP Select, independent authors and publishers have an opportunity to make money in a whole new way and reach the growing audience of Amazon Prime members, for KDP Select authors, and we hope to add more such tools over time.”
After the 90 days, the books will then go to the Kindle Owners Lending Library, which allows users to check out books for free, although Amazon will pay authors a fee. The Kindle lending library has stirred up some controversy among authors’ groups and publishers, but that’s nothing new for Amazon.
All this comes on the heels of Amazon’s quite successful launch of its 7-inch tablet, the Kindle Fire, which reports say may already be second to the iPad in tablet sales. We wonder if that will continue to hold true as other inexpensive tablets hit the market, such as the new one announced by MIPPS Technology.
Mobile shopping is on a roll and gaining even more momentum. PriceGrabber, a part of Experian, just released additional results of its third winter holiday shopping survey, revealing how consumers plan to use mobile shopping applications this holiday season.
According to the survey, 39 percent of consumers have shopping-related apps on a smartphone, 26 percent do not, and 35 percent do not own a smartphone.
Eighty-four percent of the consumers who have shopping-related apps indicated that they plan to use their apps to help save money when purchasing holiday gifts. Conducted from Oct. 18 to Oct. 26, 2011, the survey includes responses from 3,574 U.S. online shopping consumers.
Many will download new apps for the holidays; comparison shopping apps most popular When consumers who own a smartphone were asked whether they plan to download new shopping apps on their phones for holiday shopping purposes, 42 percent indicated that they plan to do so.
When asked to select all of the types of apps they plan to download, comparison-shopping apps were the most popular, with 70 percent of these specific consumers intending to download them.
This was closely followed by 65 percent of shoppers who said they will download coupon apps; 62 percent who will download price check apps with the ability to scan barcodes; and 46 percent who will download apps dedicated specifically to searching Black Friday deals.
Shoppers believe apps help them find the best prices PriceGrabber’s survey data revealed that when the consumers who plan to download new apps were asked to select all of the reasons why they will use these apps to assist with holiday shopping, 56 percent said that they find the best prices usingmobile shopping apps.
Fifty percent cited the convenience of receiving discounts and price notifications directly on a mobile phone; 44 percent indicated that they only have time to shop on the go; 38 percent use the apps to enhance the experience of shopping in brick-and-mortar stores; and 28 percent enjoy the apps’ localization features.
“Following the higher-than-expected success of Black Friday and Cyber Monday this year, we aren’t surprised to see a meaningful percentage of consumers planning to spur retailers with another round of shopping closer to Christmas,” commented Graham Jones, general manager of PriceGrabber.
“We expect that shoppers will stay on top of last-minute incentives and price drops that are certainly on the horizon in the coming weeks via the internet and mobile shopping applications like PriceGrabber, which has already experienced over 1.5 million downloads across the iPhone, Android, and iPad.”
Most will shop on the go or at home When consumers who will download new apps for holiday shopping this year were asked to select all of the places where they plan to use these apps, 79 percent said on the go. Seventy-four percent will use the apps from home, and only 32 percent will use the apps at work.
Consumers will use mobile shopping apps for any kind of gift Respondents who plan to download new holiday shopping apps indicated that any type of item is fair game to purchase using a mobile shopping app.
Sixty-three percent of consumers said they plan to purchase both big- and small-ticket items with a mobile shopping app; 20 percent plan to purchase all of the holiday gifts on their list using this method; 8 percent will only purchase small-ticket items under $100; 5 percent will only purchase big-ticket items over $100; and the remainder will not purchase any items at all.
More than a third (38 percent) of smartphone owners have used their phone to make a purchase at least once in the course of their device ownership, according to digital measurement firm comScore. In September, more than two-thirds shopped on their phones.
One in three made a phone purchase while in a retail store.
The most popular products purchased on smartphones during the month of September included digital goods, clothing/accessories, tickets and daily deals. These findings and others will be presented via a live, complimentary webinar, Handheld Shopping: How Mobile is Changing the Retail Environment, on December 7. For more details and to register, please
“Fueled by smartphone adoption, mobile is becoming a central part in the shopping funnel for many consumers,” said Mark Donovan, comScore senior vice president for mobile.
“In September we saw two-thirds of all smartphone owners perform shopping activities on their phones, including comparing products and prices, searching for coupons, taking product pictures or locating a retail store.
“Considering there are currently 90 million smartphone owners in the U.S., retailers without a well-developed mobile strategy are not only missing a tremendous opportunity with these customers but also risk becoming obsolete in the minds of these digital omnivores.”
Digital Goods, Clothing/Accessories and Tickets among the Most Popular Mobile Purchases
Digital content purchases, such as music, eBooks, TV episodes and movies, were the most popular mobile purchases in September with 47 percent of smartphone purchasers buying these items. 37 percent purchased clothing or accessories directly from retailer, while 35 percent of purchasers bought event tickets.
Slightly more than one in three mobile purchasers bought daily deals and gift certificates on their device during the month.
Types of Products Purchased by Smartphone Buyers
Total U.S. Mobile Subscribers Ages 18+
Source: Custom Mobile Retail Advisor Survey Sep. 2011
Type of Products Purchased on Smartphone
% of Smartphone Buyers
Digital purchases (i.e., songs/music, eBooks, ringtones, images, movies, TV shows, etc.)
Food (not grocery) for delivery or pick up (ex., pizza, Chipotle)
31%
Hotel stays
29%
Books (physical copies)
26%
Car rentals
24%
Airplane tickets
24%
Flowers
21%
Sports/Fitness
19%
Auto
13%
Analysis of where consumers were located when they purchased products/services on their smartphone found that 56 percent did so while at home, leading as the most popular purchase location. 42 percent of consumers made purchases while out of home (i.e. restaurants, parks, etc.) or at work, with 37 percent making purchases while traveling/commuting.
Slightly more than one in three purchasers used their smartphone to make a purchase while in a store, highlighting the increasingly important role mobile is playing in consumers’ brick and mortar retail experience, especially as a tool for real-time price and product comparisons.
Location When Purchasing on Smartphone
Total U.S. Mobile Subscribers Ages 18+
Source: Custom Mobile Retail Advisor Survey Sep.
% of Smartphone
Buyers
Home
56%
Out other places (i.e., park, school, restaurant, etc.)
42%
Work
42%
Traveling (i.e., in a car, on the subway, in a cab)
In a world of always-on connectivity, there’s a temptation for people to check their email all the time. In the third annual Osterman Research Survey, commissioned by Neverfail, researchers found an increasingly mobile workforce and continued reliance on email connectivity.
The results were compiled from a survey conducted with roughly 213 respondents, half of whom were IT professionals.
Among the interesting findings: People are finding it necessary to always be connected to their work and personal email, even interrupting meals and daily activities to check email, and workers are willing to drive great distances for connectivity.
One encouraging finding from the survey is that driving while texting is sharply declining, likely as a result of increased legislation.
The survey found that RIM BlackBerry users decreased from 53 percent of mobile device users in 2009 to 36 percent in 2011. Google Android and Apple iPhone users increased to 20 percent and 21 percent of users, respectively. Many users are also using tablets to access email.
“Our survey found that mobile messaging is continuing to evolve – and users are continually defining and redefining the lines along which it is appropriate to be ‘connected’ or ‘disconnected,’” said Michael Osterman, founder of Osterman Research.
“No matter how or where people access email, though, the results clearly indicate that for most people there is a pressing need to remain connected even after the work day is done.”
Work-related Email: Staying Connected—No Matter What
Eighty-three percent of users admitted to checking email after work using a smartphone or mobile device. While the number of users who access business email during time off decreased slightly (10 percent), many users continue to take work with them wherever they go.
More than half of the respondents brought a work-related device with them on vacation (66 percent), and a similar percentage (68 percent) admitted to driving more than 10 miles to access email.
This could demonstrate that the tough global economy requires near-constant productivity, or it could indicate an addiction to email and multitasking—anytime, anywhere.
The Osterman study also focused on how business environments are affected by email connectivity issues. The research found that less than half of respondents (43 percent) would be adversely affected by one hour of email downtime.
This is perhaps a reflection of the diverse number of options available today for staying connected.
More options available
For example, the expanding reach of cloud computing services and technologies such as UC (Unified Communications) means that more options for staying connected to email are available to users. In turn, IT professionals surveyed reported that 44 percent of users would be using cloud-based applications and storage within two years.
In regards to mobile devices, 42 percent of respondents indicated that they would make it through their normal daily routine if they had left their email device at home.
However, the number of users who would return home to retrieve a forgotten email device increased from 19 percent in 2009 to 25 percent in 2011, an indication of how attached people have become to devices such as BlackBerrys, iPhones/iPads, and other types of smartphones or tablets.
In fact, almost a third of users (31 percent) report that they exclusively use their mobile device for business processes such as reading and responding to emails.
When it comes to workflow communications, 81 percent of respondents believe that their senior manager’s ability to make mission-critical decisions would be affected by impaired access to email. And 82 percent believe there would be serious repercussions if an email server outage lasted an entire day.
“While many of the research results were based on user opinions, there’s little question that the financial consequence of mobile communications to business organizations today remains substantial,” said Peter Parker, chief executive officer of Neverfail. “For many business users, it is critical to be connected at all times, including while they are away from the office, and to lose connectivity would greatly impact worker productivity.”
Personal Email: Toeing the Line between Appropriate and Inappropriate Times to Email
It seems stricter laws about driving while texting and increased accident awareness are making an impact. The survey found that less than half of respondents (49 percent) admitted to driving while texting. This is down significantly from 76 percent in the previous survey.
Some other interesting findings:
Dinner with friends or family still represents a prime time for users to find out who’s contacted them: More than 50 percent of users reported sending emails during a meal.
People also like to multitask on their devices while shopping, with nearly 65 percent of users admitting to emailing while in the grocery line.
There are some things that are still sacred, though. The number of users who admitted to emailing during a romantic moment has decreased from 11 percent in 2009 to a mere 2 percent in 2011.
Many survey respondents also now believe that certain events are better done in person: divorce requests and breakups happened for only 1 percent of users via email, down from 6 percent in 2009.
However, it’s still difficult to say how mobile email has evolved. Was it mostly work-related and gradually turned personal, or has it always been a mixture of both? The 2011 statistics show a gradual increase in the number of times (1-50) that employees check email after work and on weekends.
Couple this with personal emails and it’s not hard to imagine how often we are sending and receiving mail.
While they use social media personally and believe it affects their businesses, the majority of small business owners don’t know how to use the new networks to build their companies. What’s more, most don’t plan on investing online until they understand the practices and payoffs.
Nearly three quarters (73%) of small business owners said they access social networks on smartphones or other mobile devices, yet 67% are holding back investing in social media because they don’t know where to begin.
What’s holding them back?
What’s holding them back is a sense of overload, in particular fear of the resources required to meet the expectations of social media users. Specifically, 51% fear sharing sensitive information; 50% say there’s too much social media to manage; and 44% fear “information overload.”
The study engaged 343 small business executives, predominantly from companies with fewer than 10 employees, via email and website surveys. All are members of the OfficeArrow network.
“Small businesses need a playbook to proceed in social media,” said Steve Ennen, president and chief intelligence officer for Social Strategy1. “Entrepreneurs are the heart and soul of the American economy. Preparing them to capitalize on the business opportunities social media can create should be a top priority.”
The solution, says Ennen, is to treat social media as a platform for listening, not talking. Among the 41% of small businesses taking any social media action, the focus is solidly on promoting to increase brand awareness.
However, 60% say they do want to use social media as an information source; they just don’t know how. Ennen says small businesses need to take three initial steps:
1.Find your customers online.There’s a world beyond Facebook and Twitter online, where people bare their feelings instantaneously. Identify the places where customers are commenting, linking and sharing content.
2. Set up to listen. Establish feeds to extract relevant insights continually. Everything tells you something about what really matters to the people a business intends to serve.
3. Emphasize customer service. It’s possible do more for less through online customer service. Catalog what people like, trust, dislike, and distrust, about your company, competitors and category. Pinpoint the key dissatisfactions and consider ways to automate tasks for customers. Then, using that data, communicate with them in meaningful ways.
“The most important resource is a specialist in monitoring social media,” said Ennen. “Small businesses need to focus resources on customer action, and monitoring professionals combine the technology and analysis to show what actions are profitable.”
Mobile devices are playing a critical role in the entertainment research and planning process for a majority of smartphone and iPad users, according to a new study by Greystripe, the world’s largest brand-focused mobile ad network and a division of ValueClick, Inc. (Nasdaq:VCLK).
More than half of Federal employees use at least one mobile device at work, CDW-G found, and many are using personal devices to accomplish work-related tasks. Nearly all Federal employees who use a mobile device for work believe the device makes them more productive, and the majority say increased mobility will improve citizen service.“Mobility is the ‘new normal’ for Federal employees”
As sweethearts make plans for their sweeties this Valentine’s Day, they would be wise to think about buying electronics instead of traditional gifts for the women in their lives. According to a new study from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), Women in CE, electronics are a desired purchase among both sexes.
Do you find yourself lusting for that new iPad tablet, Kindle Fire or spiffy smartphone a co-worker is using? If so, you’re not alone. Seventy three percent identified smartphones, tablets, e-readers and HDTVs as their favorites and 30 percent reported being “very envious” of the devices their colleagues brought into the workplace, according to Captivate Network.
Thirty percent of respondents reported they are very envious of the technology their colleagues have and they do not. However, rather than wishing people would be quiet about their new acquisitions, thirty five percent of people would like to hear and see more. The following table illustrates the attitudes of white-collar workers toward the devices they want and their colleagues have:
When asked to name their favorite technology, 73 percent of respondents named the following four devices: smartphones (43 percent), tablets (15 percent), e-readers (8 percent) and HDTVs (7 percent).
Although there are a growing number of tablet and smartphone brands to choose from, Apple products were the most desired. For HDTVs and e-readers, Samsung and Kindle were named most, respectively, followed by Sony (for TVs) and Nook (for e-readers).
The number of personal mobile devices connecting to the corporate network has more than doubled in the past two years — with nearly half of devices storing sensitive data.
Mobile, handheld computers are changing the way people do business. A new report from GIA says that open source operating systems such as Google’s Android are expected to dominate the market going forward, while single-source systems such as Apple’s iOS and RIM are going to lose market share.
Marketers should take note of the exponentially rising sales of smartphones as a sign that 
A growing user acceptance of in-game purchases and a sharp rise in smartphone adoption will push sales of in-game items from $2.1 billion in 2011 to $4.8 billion in 2016, according to Juniper research.
Smartphones are becoming the go-to device for many consumers who want to take photos and videos on the fly – and that’s slicing into the sale of some low-end cameras and camcorders.
LivingSocial, the DC-based daily deal site that is the second largest player in the space after Groupon, has raised $176 million in new funding, according to 
Mobile shopping is on a roll and gaining even more momentum. PriceGrabber, a part of Experian, just released additional results of its third winter holiday shopping survey, revealing how consumers plan to use mobile shopping applications this holiday season.
While they use social media personally and believe it affects their businesses, the majority of small business owners don’t know how to use the new networks to build their companies. What’s more, most don’t plan on investing online until they understand the practices and payoffs.
