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Study: Smartphones an essential tool for shoppers 0

If you’re a smart shopper, you’re likely using a smartphone to do this.

A recent survey of smartphone users finds that a majority of users believe the mobile device is essential when it comes to the shopping experience. Framingham, Mass.-based IDC’s research done during last year’s holiday shopping season reveals that 70 percent plan to use their smartphone more to help their shopping experience in 2014, while 69 percent say their smartphone is critical to a better shopping experience.

They’re researching deals, checking prices and reviews, and exchanging information on social media.

They’re also posing challenges to retailers trying to stay ahead of the digital wave. According to IDC, online retailers are capturing a larger share of the market from smartphone shoppers.

Online giants Amazon, eBay and Groupon attract the most shoppers, far more so than bricks-and-mortar retailers like Walmart and Target. And, according to the IDC, one in five smartphone users shoppers buy from a competitor while in the store they’re shopping in.

Read IDC’s infographic here for more

Facebook Paper’s content marketing potential 0

Facebook Paper looms as a game changer for content marketers.

The social media giant’s recently launched media delivery app puts an emphasis on quality images and solid content for the user. Users can select sections featuring content created from news sources for their optimal and personalized media experience.

They’ll look for unique and compelling images, attention-grabbing headlines and blog postings that feature original, well-written and researched material.

This poses a challenge to companies when it comes to creating the brand content that Paper users will be drawn to.

Business2community.com has a few tips for those that want to create high-impact content for Facebook’s Paper:

  • It’s okay to write longer content.
  • More words are effective.
  • Use better, higher quality photos.

You can read more about this here.

Smartphones overtaking PCs in Web usage 0

Smartphone owners use their devices for a growing number of tasks, from checking email and viewing video content, to banking and shopping, to social media.

They also spend more time using them, according to a recent Nielsen study that says time spent by people on smartphones is overtaking PC usage in the U.S., Britain and Italy.

Americans spent an average of 34 hours on their smartphones during the month of December, nearly eight hours longer than they did on their PCs.

Nielsen says Americans spent time on their smartphones mostly accessing apps for social media (28 percent of the time) entertainment (8 percent) and playing games (9 percent).

Of course, using the device for communications (12 percent) was also essential to them. And traditional phone functions are still important to smartphone owners, according to Nielsen. Text messages took up 9 percent of total smartphone time, dialing the phone took up 3 percent, and checking the address book took up 2 percent, among U.S. users of Android devices.

 

 

 

 

Study: Giving up Internet not easy 0

mobilecontentIf you own a smartphone or tablet, you are likely using it to surf the Internet.

You’re looking for the best shopping deals, checking out the latest news, watching video content, interacting with others via social media. Let’s face it, the Internet has become essential when it comes to using our mobile devices like smartphones, iPads and tablets.

How essential is it? According to the Pew Research Internet Project, more than half of those surveyed say they cannot give up the Internet. Pew’s research finds that 53 percent of users would find it difficult to give up the Internet, compared with 38 percent in 2006.

It’s even harder to give up a cellphone or smartphone, especially if it has online access. According to Pew, 49 percent of cell phone and smartphone owners say it would be, at a minimum, very hard to give up their device, compared with 43 percent in 2006. Pew found that, among those earning $75,000 or more a year, 59 percent say it would be very hard to give up the smartphone or cell phone.

Pew also found that 1 in 10 users of the Internet would find social media very hard to give up. Think about that when you’re connecting with Facebook on your tablet or smartphone.

Not all of the results are tilted toward a mobile focus. Pew found that fewer people are more likely to give up their landline phones. The study revealed that 28 percent of landline owners say their phone would be very hard to give up, a major drop from 48 percent in 2006.

 

The viewing habits of millennials 0

Millennials are voracious viewers of video. They’re just not watching videos on TV.

Mobile ContentThe video advertising technology company YuMe tracked the media viewing habits of millennials, defined as the 18-to-34 demographic. This is an age group that makes prolific and sustained use of smartphones and tablets; 18 percent of all millennials were mobile-only users in November 2013.

The study reveals that millennials watch more video content than their predecessors from Generation X and the much older baby boomers. Those movies, TV shows, user generated and sponsored videos, however, are being viewed on devices other than the flat-screen television set.

Smartphones are the most popular device for millennials to view video in most places, though tablets are more popular at home and while on vacation, YuMe’s study finds. Among those who watch, 13 percent say they watch video content at work or while shopping. Another 9 percent say they do while commuting to work or visiting someone’s home.

Also, 94 percent of millennials multitask (and are likely distracted) while viewing content.

YuMe’s downloadable research report is here.

 

 

Mobile potential for small business 0

Major retailers are embracing the potential of mobile devices to bring in customers and drive business. Now, small businesses are focusing on mobile access to customers to boost their bottom line.

Mobile devices, particularly smartphones, are becoming the main channel for customers to interact with businesses. That means opportunities for merchants, from restaurants to car repair services to banks.

While social media like Twitter and Facebook are an effective form of social engagement for small businesses, a mobile-friendly website and payment options for smartphones and tablets can tilt long-term success in their favor.

The market is there for the taking: smartphone ownership in the U.S. is expected to more than triple by 2016.

Here are a few areas small businesses and entrepreneurs can focus on if they want to maintain, or expand, their mobile presence:

  • Make the company website accessible to mobile devices
  • Add a mobile payment option
  • Make smartphones, tablets and other mobile tools available to the sales force
  • Use virtual meeting apps like GroupMe to communicate with staff.

 

 

 

 

 

More ads on mobile, more video on social media 0

Ads are getting more play on mobile devices, a new report says.

Citrix released its Mobile Analytics Report for the first quarter of 2014 this week. The company specializes in the creation of virtual workspaces, networking and cloud infrastructure to enable new ways for people to work better. In its summary of key findings gleaned from a survey of its tier one customer base, says this:

  • Mobile ad reach has doubled that of 2013, yet only 1 in 20 subscribers are served video ads. Citrix believed the number of subscribers exposed to video ads is expected to grow, in part by features such as auto-play for video ads.
  • Health apps are booming. The Citrix survey finds that 52 percent of subscribers are using their mobile health apps now, as compared to when it was first downloaded. The 10 most popular apps by usage are related to fitness and running, weight loss and nutrition, and women’s health.
  • Video is growing dramatically on social media, comprising 32 percent on the networks, while images make up 63 percent and text 5 percent.

Library ebooks an option at some airports 0

If you’re a frequent air traveler, you’ve spent a fair amount of time in an airport terminal waiting on your flight. To pass the time until boarding call, you’ll likely want something to read.

Every airport has a newsstand — most likely Hudson News, which sells newspapers, magazines and books as well as other travel supplies in its terminal shops. USA Today or Wall Street Journal usually ends up on the plane as trash when your reach your destination.

There is another option for air travelers. Public libraries are a presence in several airports, offering free ebook downloads to passengers with an iPad or tablet.

These airport facilities are a perk for travelers with mobile devices. The downloaded ebooks are weightless and take up no room in a carry-on. Patrons who try out airport virtual libraries are also more likely to try ebooks at their home branches.

Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) recently opened a virtual library where travelers can log on to the airport’s free WiFi network to access nearly 1,200 digital content titles. The virtual library is located on the walkway between Terminals D and E.

The airport partnered with the Free Library of Philadelphia to bring the library’s electronic resources to passengers. They can download titles to their iPad or tablet in a variety of genres from classics and bestsellers to children’s books.

Other airports have set up virtual libraries in their terminals, usually in partnership with local libraries.

  • Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) partnered with the Broward County Libraries Division to establish the first ebook lending program for passengers in 2011.
  • Kansas State Library makes titles available through its “Books on the Fly” program to passengers at Manhattan Regional Airport (MHK).
  • Michigan’s Traverse Area District Library offers passengers at Cherry Capital Airport (TVC) access to 30,000 digital ebook titles through its Books on the Go program.

 

Mobile gets boost in NYC, Chicago subways 0

Welcome to a better wireless underground.

Two of the largest subway systems in the country, New York and Chicago, are expanding the ability for mobile device owners to use their smartphones and tablets at transit stations. The days of a dropped phone signal as you enter a subway station are going the way of the token, thanks to improved technology and wireless infrastructure.

In New York, the nation’s largest subway system, the Metropolitan Transit Authority is adding wireless and Wi-Fi service to 11 stations in midtown Manhattan, including Grand Central Terminal, Herald Square and Bryant Park, and stations in the borough of Queens. The MTA launched wireless and Wi-Fi service at 36 subway stations last year, among them Times Square, and according to TransitWireless.com, the Wi-Fi network served 2.6 million connections throughout the year.

Smartphones like the iPhone and Samsung Galaxy S4 were the most popular devices to connect to the Wi-Fi network and were responsible for 76 percent of the data usage in the stations last year.

When this expansion phase is completed in June, nearly 250 million riders will have access to service from AT&T, T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon Wireless.

Besides convenience, the expansion of wireless service is expected to also enhance passenger safety and security, the MTA says. E911 will allow dispatchers to know when a call is being placed underground and the location of the caller. Employees and first responders will also have enhanced communications in an emergency.

Upgrades are also coming to Chicago, home to the nation’s third-busiest rail transit system. The Chicago Transit Authority is upgrading the existing wireless network to 4G technology. This is expected to improve service on the Blue and Red lines, which have a total of 24 miles of individual tunnels. Work on the project is expected to begin later this year.

So if you’re traveling to these cities anytime soon and plan to use their subways, rest assured that your wireless communication experience is about to improve.

 

Hotwire poll details mobile use in bookings 0

More than a third of young adults who book travel plans are likely to do it with a smartphone or tablet, a Hotwire.com survey reveals.

hotwire_artThe discount travel site released today the findings of its third annual American Travel Behavior Survey. Harris Interactive, which conducted the online poll for Hotwire, surveyed over 2,000 U.S. adults 18 and older in October.

The survey found that 18 percent of adults who have ever booked travel plans have done so using a mobile device. The results revealed 37 percent of adults 18 to 34, and 25 percent of adults ages 35 to 44, are significantly more likely to book their trips using a smartphone or tablet.

Also, 12 percent of those who have booked travel with a mobile device used a smartphone, while 10 percent used a tablet.

The survey also revealed that 48 percent of adults say they’re more comfortable with last-minute bookings, done within seven days of checking in. Not surprisingly, this is where Hotwire says it’s done a lot of business, with 80 percent of its bookings on smartphones and 70 percent on tablets are made the day before or day of arrival.

Currently, nearly 20 percent of Hotwire’s booking occur on mobile devices.