This holiday season, more online transactions will take place on smartphones instead of on personal computers (PC) like a desktop system or laptop. The season is set to be approached with a mixed outlook for retailers of mobile products. These retailers have spent much more time and resources on their mobile user experiences but these may not be enough, as mobile ad spending is currently on a meteoric rise.
It has been widely predicted that mobile traffic this Thanksgiving season will significantly exceed PC traffic. A recently released survey-based report found that mobile devices now exceed PCs in terms of “importance” in making purchase decisions.
In their latest report – “Demographics of Device Ownership” study for the US market – the Pew Research Center stated that 45 percent of US adults have some sort of tablet device. In addition, the report showed that for some groups, smartphone ownership has now reached a “saturation” level.
According to Pew’s research data, 10 percent fewer young adults (78 percent) own traditional desktop or laptop computers today than in 2010 (88 percent). At the same time, 86 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds own a smartphone.
Data obtained earlier this year showed that 55% of Internet usage in the United States was by mobile devices. 47% of Internet traffic were from mobile applications and 8% of total traffic came from mobile browsers, according to data from comScore, cited by research firm Enders Analysis. PCs clocked in at 45%.
Although total Internet usage on mobile devices has previously exceeded that on PCs, this marks the first time it has happened for app usage alone. This shift was preceded by a free-fall in PC sales, which suffered their worst decline in history last year.
The improved user experience on mobile apps and the expansion of high-speed 4G LTE access by telecommunication companies has led to a significant increase in smartphone adoption. Research firm IDC recorded a 39% increase in smartphone purchases.
The world we live in is a cross-platform environment, and most online transactions will still take place on a PC. However, smartphones are clearly the dominant computing device for a majority of US consumers, especially those under the age of 30.
PC Usage in Decline among Under-30s
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