Are You Ready for the Mobile Fanatics?
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In our modern, ever-connected society, pretty much everyone uses a smartphone, tablet, or other mobile device on a fairly regular basis. And you’ve surely read about how deeply mobile devices are cutting into PC and laptop usage for online engagement. An already-large and quickly growing segment of smartphone users (for simplicity’s sake, we’ll refer to all internet-capable handheld devices as “smartphones” from here on out) is pushing mobile search past “traditional” search (PC/laptop use) for the first time. A new consumer data survey conducted by Thrive Analytics shows that these users, known as “mobile fanatics,” make up over 40 percent of the smartphone-using population. As defined in the report, mobile fanatics “conduct at least 10 searches per week on at least two devices from multiple locations.” The average US internet user conducts about 17.5 searches per week, so mobile fanatics’ mobile searching is well over 50 percent. [caption id="attachment_3309" align="alignright" width="350"] This chap might be a different kind of mobile fanatic.[/caption] Thrive’s study also showed that roughly 60 percent of users list mobile devices as their preferred method of finding information online (the other 40 percent preferring laptops and PCs). Those numbers were essentially the opposite just a year ago, so mobile is growing fast. Additionally, recent data from comScore shows that many retailers are now getting 50 percent or more of their online traffic from “mobile-only” users—those that visit, and/or purchase from, a website using only a smartphone, with no traditional browsing involved. What do all these numbers mean for you and your business? If your website isn’t optimized for mobile, you’re potentially missing out on a very large segment of internet users. And if your competitors’ sites are mobile-friendly, well, those customers just might end up taking their business thataway. The way the numbers are going, we’ll all be mobile fanatics before too long. Don’t wait around and try to catch up to this trend, which isn’t really a trend since it’s going to be a permanent change. Ecreative offers responsive website design services that will make your site mobile-friendly and help your business reach mobile fanatics and garden variety smartphone users alike. To get started, contact us today—via your mobile device or otherwise. Photo credit: lukew / Foter / CC BY