Understanding consumer habits in the digital world
The digital world can be a real minefield, so when it comes to devising a digital marketing strategy for your brand or business, it can be difficult to know where to begin. We know we should be engaging with both existing and potential customers across a variety of digital platforms, but how do you know which work best for your business and where to concentrate your efforts?
Understanding your customer and their habits when it comes to their digital use can be a good starting point. GlobalWebIndex’s recent report on device ownership delves into how people are using digital technology in 2019. We’ve summarised some of the key insights here:
Most people use smartphones, but bigger screens are still relevant
A staggering 95% of internet users have a smartphone, but they also own other devices – the average person owns 3.4 different devices. You might think that there is a huge difference between the amount of time spent on smartphones verses computers, but in fact online adults spend a daily average of just four minutes longer on mobiles than computers per day. Therefore, mobile-only strategies shouldn’t yet be the default. Meanwhile, the adoption of tablets has lost momentum, declining year-on-year since 2015 to 37% in 2019.
Ownership of other digital technology
The smartwatch market is still yet to fully take off; globally, just 13% of online adults say they have a smartwatch. This could be because they still attract a relatively high price tag compared to the few apps and functionalities they offer that set them apart from a smartphone. The average smartwatch owners are most likely full-time working men in their early thirties with a high income. Meanwhile, smart home entertainment products have made inroads among a large and growing share of internet users, but global adoption remains relatively low at 12%. However, a third of the 16 to 24 age group report having a smart home product.
Use of voice technology
Today, 42% of the global online population say they have conducted a voice search within the past month on any device, which represents a 31% increase since the first half of 2017. For many consumers, their introduction with voice command tools has been via their mobile, but computers and tablets have also seen an increase of voice search in the past two years. Generally, the younger the internet user, the more likely they are to be engaging with voice search, especially on smartphones.
Device usage
While smartphones have reached their saturation point and the younger generations are embracing other smart technology when it comes to home entertainment, the importance of desktops is especially prevalent among older demographics. Daily, those in the 55 to 64 age range are spending 90 minutes longer on devices other than their smartphones and are more likely to conduct most commercial activities, like purchasing products online or visiting retail stores, on a computer.
If you need help strategizing your digital marketing efforts, Air Social Digital Marketing can help. Contact one of our friendly team here.
