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Adobe® 2012 Mobile Consumer Survey Results
Using mobile sites, apps, and emerging technologies to get ahead
The proliferation of mobile devices and tablets continues to rise. In 2011, smartphone adoption alone reached 38% in the United States and is projected to grow to 48% in 20121. Mobile has become a long-term initiative for businesses, yet marketers are still finding their way on how to define, implement, and optimize their mobile marketing strategies.
Results from the Adobe 2012 Mobile Consumer Survey show that consumers are using their smartphones and tablet devices to connect with brands in a variety of ways, but there is significant room for improvement in the user experience. Businesses must not approach their mobile strategy in an identical manner as the desktop. Mobile is a unique channel, with different requirements for smartphones and tablets, and this channel must be integrated into the overall marketing mix. It is imperative that businesses understand who their mobile consumers are, how they access sites or apps, which devices they use, and what their expectations are for a positive experience. By understanding the consumer through analytics and measurement, businesses can optimize their mobile channel to enhance their online presence, engage better with their customers, and achieve business objectives.
Survey of mobile users In March 2012, Adobe surveyed more than 1,200 mobile users in the United States to learn what mobile
devices they use, how they interact with websites and applications, and what they want most out of their mobile experiences. Participants provided valuable insight into their mobile activities across several categories, including media and entertainment, travel services, financial services, and shopping for consumer products and electronics.
The survey, administered by Keynote Services, categorized preferences based on gender and age. The participants were split nearly equally between male and female. Age groups were split into young (18–29), middle-aged (30–49), and older (50–64), with the highest number of participants coming from the middle- aged group.
Demographics of survey participants
Age
Gender
613 587
Female Male
15%
46%
18–29
39%
30–49 50–64
1 “US Mobile Usage Forecast,” eMarketer, April 2012Key insights and findings Without a doubt, the penetration of mobile devices continues to rise, with smartphones becoming the
preferred form of web access for consumers. However, the overall mobile landscape is extremely fragmented when it comes to how, when, and where consumers are using their mobile devices.
Smartphones and tablets
Perhaps one of the most surprising results from the Adobe 2012 Mobile Consumer Survey is that Android devices lead the way in overall popularity at 51%, followed by iPhones at 38%. Industry experts have advised over the past five years that the best app experiences are developed for iOS, this recent statistic suggests that the market might not remain this way for long. The numbers for Android devices skewed even higher for the young age group at 58%. As the most popular platform for young consumers, marketers must ensure that their sites are equally optimized for apps and web browsers via Android devices as they are for iOS devices.
50% 40% 30% 20% 10%
0%
Female (n=613) Male (n=587) Age 50-64 (n=174) Age 30-49 (n=542) Age 18-29 (n=453)
Feature phone
Android smart phone
Android Amazon tablet Kindle Fire
tablet
Apple iPhone smart phone
Apple iPad tablet
RIM (BlackBerry) smart phone
RIM Windows (BlackBerry) Mobile
tablet smart phone
Windows Other Mobile
tablet
Consumer’s primary mobile device by segment
For consumers who own both a smartphone and tablet, the primary device is still the smartphone (88%). While smartphones dominate the overall mobile device market, tablet devices are poised to gain market share because of consumer preference to interact with websites from tablets because they provide a much larger screen for consumers to engage with content on the mobile web. According to a recent Adobe Digital Index analysis of website visit activity, it is anticipated that tablet visits will surpass smartphone visits by early 2013 and generate more than 10% of overall website visits in 2014. Designing for the tablet experience is quickly becoming a necessity for companies that want to maximize conversions via this device.
As expected, tablet users are more likely to be home-based (70%), while 24% use tablets on the go. Consumers devote a significant amount of time to their tablets, with 31% using them daily between 1 to 4 hours. Additionally, tablets are more likely to be shared devices, with a majority of tablet users (56%) stating that they allow other members of the family, such as children, to use their tablet.
Tablet users also appear to be slightly more valuable consumers when it comes to website visits than those who visit a site with a smartphone. iPad users (62%) and Android tablet users (56%) reported spending more than $250 on consumer products via their devices over the past 12 months, compared to 58% of iPhone users and 53% of Android smartphone users.
Adobe 2012 Mobile Consumer Survey Results White Paper 2
Q272. On average, how much time do you spend using your mobile tablet?
35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10%
5% 0% Daily: 1-4 hours
A few hours every week
A few hours every few days
Daily: Less than Daily: 5 or more 1 hour a day hours per day
Age 50-64 (n=35) Age 30-49 (n=172) Age 18-29 (n=112)
Don't use regularly
per day
Q271. Where do you use your mobile tablet most frequently?
80% 70% 60% 50% 40%
30% 20% 10%
0%
30% 25% 20% 15% 10%
5% 0%
Home
Age 50-64 (n=35) Age 30-49 (n=172) Age 18-29 (n=112)
While out and about Work
Q273. What are the most common activities that you engage with on your tablet (email, news, sports, weather, play games, shopping, etc.)?
Age 50-64 (n=35) Age 30-49 (n=172) Age 18-29 (n=112)
Education Email News Play Reading Reading Shopping Sports View Weather Other games books magazines videos
User experience and engagement with mobile services
Participants in the Adobe 2012 Mobile Consumer Survey shared their user experience when conducting mobile activities for both mobile websites and applications, as well as provided insight into how much time they are spending on these activities. The categories spanned media and entertainment, travel services, financial services, and shopping for consumer products and consumer electronics.
Media consumption
In the category of media consumption, consumers reported having the most negative-to-neutral experiences for both mobile websites and applications in the areas of speed and performance, transaction processes, ability to load website on phone, and ability to enter data. Consumers also highlighted navigation as a key area for improvement. Interestingly, media consumption was the only category where consumers stated that they would like the simplicity of site design improved.
Adobe 2012 Mobile Consumer Survey Results White Paper 3
In looking at media consumption by age and the time spent on a device per week, the younger age group reported the most hours at 3-5 hours per week on mobile websites (28%) and applications (28%). In contrast, the older age group skewed towards spending less than one hour per week on both websites and applications. As such, it is important for brands that target younger demographics to provide mobile-optimized experiences.
30% 25% 20% 15% 10%
5% 0%
Q55. If you could say one thing to a media service provider to improve the experience using its mobile website, what would it be?
Speed Text legibility
Image quality and quantity
Page load
Optimized video
Search
Navigation
Personal data entry
Other
Travel services
Across all categories, travel services received the highest negative-to-neutral ratings for experiences with both mobile websites and applications. In particular, the older age group felt more negative about their experiences with travel services, as compared to the young and middle age groups. While mobile devices provide the essential ability to look up travel information from anywhere, consumers found it difficult to conduct transaction processes and enter in data, which are crucial elements for actually booking travel online.
Businesses in the travel services industry would be well-served to look at their user profile data, and test different navigation, design, page layout and content options based on age. The results may then help marketers in this industry prioritize age-based offers and content that raise satisfaction levels in their testing plan, leading to a more “in-establishment” experience online that resonates with this audience.
Q87. Rate your experience in each of these areas on a travel mobile website.
60%
50%
40%
30% 20%
10% 0%
Age 18-29 (n=262) Age 30-49 (n=328) Very Satisfied (6-7) Neutral (3-5)
Age 50-64 (n=110) Not Satisfied (1-2)
Financial services
Mobile has become one of the key imperatives for financial services firms, as the benefits of delivering mobile experiences to customers are clear. Customers always have their mobile devices with them, the devices are always on, and devices can provide various means of interaction including voice, touch, camera, and location. In fact, mobile banking is forecasted to grow to over 50 million users in the US by 2015.2
2 Forrester Research Mobile Banking Forecast, 2010 to 2015 US
Adobe 2012 Mobile Consumer Survey Results White Paper 4
Given the immense opportunity for financial services to acquire, convert and retain customers via the mobile channel, organizations must look at providing better mobile experiences that meet consumer expectations. As with the travel services industry, survey respondents reported a high negative-to-neutral rating for their experiences with transaction processes, ability to enter data, and navigation. The older age group also reported the most dissatisfaction with these experiences. Again, testing higher-level personalization based on age could prove to be advantageous for organizations. With the older age group having more history of personal interactions with financial services, organizations may want to test their mobile channel as a portal to connect this age group to services that are easy to access. By creating more personalized engagement via mobile, organizations can create an experience that is closer to an in-establishment feel.
The older age group also reported using tablets more often. Organizations should look to uncover opportunities in this area by taking advantage of the tablet screen real estate to provide an optimized experience, while differentiating brand and increasing conversions.
The category of financial services was the only vertical in which security was highlighted as an area for improvement for both mobile websites and applications. Consumers are still concerned about the safety of their personal and financial data online. Organizations can efficiently test options to help ease customer concerns by testing the placement of security certificates on the UI, thereby encouraging trust with the visual cue that security is in place.
35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10%
5% 0%
Q136. If you could say one thing to a financial service company to improve the experience on its mobile website, what would it be?
Speed Text Image Page Optimized Search Navigation Personal Other Other – Other – legibility quality and load video data entry less ads secure
quantity
Shopping for consumer products
Overall, consumers who shop via mobile applications on Android tablets report the highest percentage levels of satisfaction at 88% versus iPad users at 71%, and Android smartphone users at 69% versus iPhone users at 66%.
When it comes to shopping for consumer products via mobile websites, iPad users reported the highest satisfaction levels at 75%, followed by Amazon Kindle at 73%, iPhone at 66%, Android tablet at 66%, and Android smartphone at 60%.
In general, men appear to be happier with mobile shopping experiences for consumer products, with 67% of men reporting being satisfied versus 59% of women.
• All ages are comfortable in the range of $1–$250 (just over 40% in all). The older demographics are bigger spenders: Age 30–49 spent more than the other two groups in the $500 to $749 range. Age 50–64 spent most in the $1000+ range (12.12% compared to 2.6% for age 18–29, and 5.08% in age 30–29).
• Females are most comfortable spending in the $1–$249 range (53% compared to 36% of males). Males are more comfortable spending in higher ranges: 17.47% in the $500 to $749 range, and 14% in the $750+ range (double the percentage of females).
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50% 40% 30% 20% 10%
0%
Q151. Average dollars spent on consumer product purchases via a mobile device in the past 12 months?
$1 to $249
$250 to $499
$500 to $749
Age 50-64 (n=35) Age 30-49 (n=172) Age 18-29 (n=112)
$750 to $999 $700 and abovs
Q157. Provide why you prefer a regular website when shopping on your mobile device.
Other, 13%
Convenient/ More features, Easy 39%
21% Look/Feel
7% Navigation, Speed,
60% 50% 40%
30% 20% 10%
0%
50% 40% 30%
20% 10% 0%
Q159. What information is most helpful when purchasing a product on a mobile website or app?
Product Easy checkout information process
Customer ratings/reviews
Visual Purchase product information using mobile
site/app
Simply keywords search for products
Videos
and price
Selection, 1%
10%
4% Secure, 3%
Reliable, 3%
Q172. What visual features will increase your likelihood to make a purchase on your mobile device?
Product 360-degree spin Zoom/Pan Alt images side-by-side comparions
Adobe 2012 Mobile Consumer Survey Results White Paper 6
Shopping for consumer electronics
• All ages appear comfortable in the range of $1–$250 (48% for ages 30–49, others above 50%). The older demographics spend more. Given the cost of electronics, unlike consumer products, ages 18–29 spend up to the $500 to $749 range. The 50–69 group appears more comfortable than the others spending over $750 (13% compared to 6%–8% for the others).
• Females spend more than males up to $749 (94% compared to 89%), with the highest portion between $1–$249. Males spend more in the $750+ range (11% compared to 7% for females).
60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10%
0%
Q202. On average how much have you spent on consumer electronics purchases via your mobile device in the past 12 months?
$1 to $249
Age 50-64 (n=67) Age 18-29 (n=220) Age 30-49 (n=269)
$250 to $499 $500 to $749 $750 to $999 $1,000 and above
Social media and mobile access
It is no surprise that Facebook is the dominant social network accessed by mobile (85%), followed by Twitter (35%), and then Google+ (21%). It is also expected that the most popular activity is to read status updates (85%). However, consumers are also using their mobile devices to view Facebook fan pages of their favorite brands. Today’s brands should have mobile-optimized experiences for offers that are launched from their Facebook fan pages. This is most important for brands that target younger demographics, with 91% of the young age group and 87% of the middle age group accessing social networks via mobile devices.
Q267. Which social networks do you access from a mobile device (Facebook, Twitter, Google+, etc.)?
Age 50-64 (n=103) Age 30-49 (n=307) Age 18-29 (n=264)
20% 30% 40% 50%
Facebook Twitter Google+ LinkedIn MySpace I do not access social networks
from my mobile device Other
0% 10%
Adobe 2012 Mobile Consumer Survey Results White Paper 7
While 53% of consumers who view a Facebook fan page receive an offer or promotion, one in five consumers report that they do not have a mobile-optimized experience when linking from Facebook to a brand’s site. Because the assumption is that the consumer wants to take advantage of the offer or promotion, companies should consider optimizing the mobile transition as low-hanging fruit for increasing conversions.
A majority of consumers (56%) access their social networks on a daily basis, with 20% reporting that they visit these sites on a weekly basis. Given the frequency of mobile visits to social sites, the ability to use dashboards to measure and optimize traffic that result from these visits is gaining in strategic importance.
Mobile advertising
More and more, companies are looking to mobile search and display ads to acquire new consumers and retain current customers. The ad spend for mobile search and display ads is anticipated to see a compound annual growth rate of over 50% from 2010 to 2015.3 A high percentage of consumers surveyed report that they are clicking through mobile ads presented in both mobile websites and apps, with 42% clicking through ads on mobile websites, and 37% clicking through ads on mobile apps.
As mobile consumers may exhibit high intent when searching for products or services, having tools to target and optimize mobile-specific offers represents a big opportunity for companies. Consumers are reporting that a majority of advertisers are providing mobile-optimized experiences when they click through ads on both mobile websites (73%) and mobile apps (77%), suggesting that optimization of mobile ad content appears to be prevalent. Men are more likely to click through on mobile ads presented within mobile apps than women (42% versus 32%). Prioritizing a testing roadmap to include campaigns that target men could yield a strong opportunity for conversion optimization.
Q264. Have you clicked thru on mobile ads that are presented in a mobile application?
80% 70% 60% 50% 40%
30% 20% 10%
0%
Yes
Age 18-29 (n=246)
No
Age 50-64 (n=101)
Age 30-49 (n=301)
Emerging technologies
Nowhere does the opportunity for brand differentiation and improved customer experience appear more evident than in the adoption of emerging mobile-specific technologies. For example, the practice of scanning Quick Response (QR) codes is rapidly becoming a mainstream activity, with 38% of young and 40% of middle age groups reporting that they have scanned QR codes in the last three months. The codes were presented in a wide variety of media. After scanning the code, a high percentage (83%) of respondents said they were presented with a mobile-optimized experience. As QR codes can be associated with a location-based offer (e.g., in-store display), companies should take advantage of the ability to dynamically personalize the brand experience for their target audience.
3 eMarketer, Sept. 2011
Adobe 2012 Mobile Consumer Survey Results White Paper 8
80% 70% 60% 50% 40%
30% 20% 10%
0%
Q250. Have you used your primary mobile device to scan a QR (Quick Reference) code in the last 3 months?
Yes
Age 18-28 (n=453)
Age 30-49 (n=542)
No
Age 50-64 (n=174)
Another opportunity for location-based personalization is represented by the rise in adoption of consumer “check-in” services. Almost a third of respondents have checked in via a location service on their mobile device, with Facebook being the most popular service, followed by Foursquare and Yelp. In addition, 48% of those who checked in received an incentive. By offering incentives to check in, marketers have the ideal opportunity to upsell and cross-sell to consumers when and where they are most likely to be engaged in a purchase process. Younger demographics clearly represent the strongest opportunity here, and marketing programs geared at this audience should receive the priority in the campaign development process.
Although augmented reality (AR) and mobile wallets are still at an early stage, consumers are reporting their advantages. For those who have used AR, 55% indicated that it was used to locate and find a company, product, or service. And of those who have used a mobile wallet to pay for a product or service, 86% said that the payment experience was easier than providing their credit card. Given this high rate of positive response, retailers should consider positioning this option in their payment stack when they have the opportunity to efficiently test and deploy.
Overall, the study showed that men are adopting these emerging mobile technologies at a quicker pace than women, with 21% of men reporting mobile wallet usage versus 14% of women. In addition, 19% of men reported experience with augmented reality versus 12% of women.
As could be expected, consumers who are the earliest adopters of emerging technologies are also the most valuable customers. For example, people who reported using a mobile wallet in the past three months were also the bigger spenders online: 33% of people who used mobile wallets spent more than $500 on consumer products via their mobile device over the past 12 months versus only 9% of those who did not use mobile wallets.
The same holds true for QR codes. Of the people who reported using a QR code in the past three months, 31% spent more than $500 on consumer products via their mobile device over the past 12 months versus only 16.5% of those who did not report using QR codes.
The results of the survey hold strong implications—companies that want to convert consumers with the highest potential value should implement plans to test and adopt emerging mobile technologies.
Adobe 2012 Mobile Consumer Survey Results White Paper 9
Conclusions The mobile survey revealed that consumers are using their smartphones and tablet devices to connect with
brands across a variety of categories through both mobile-optimized websites and mobile apps. By understanding how consumers are coming to a site—whether it’s through a mobile site or app or via a smartphone or tablet—companies can leverage their customers’ perspectives and preferences to deliver a better user experience, which can translate to increased customer loyalty and improved bottom line.
• For consumers who own both a smartphone and a tablet, the primary device is still the smartphone (88%).
• Android smartphones are the most popular by ownership percentage (58% young, 50% middle, 38% senior) across all age groups.
• Apple tablets (iPads) are the most popular with young (27%) and middle age (31%) groups. However, the Kindle Fire is the leader among seniors (22%). A majority of tablet owners (56%) share their device with other family members.
• Across mobile platforms (Android versus Apple), ownership by gender is equally distributed across males and females.
• Facebook is the dominant social network accessed via mobile at 85%, followed by Twitter at 35%, and Google+ at 21%. A majority of brands provide mobile-optimized experiences for offers that are launched from their Facebook fan pages via mobile devices. Over 87% of young and middle age groups access social media via mobile devices.
• Mobile ads presented in both sites and apps have a high click-through rate (42% and 37%, respectively). A majority of advertisers provide mobile-optimized experiences when consumers click through on ads.
• Men are more likely to click through on mobile ads presented within apps than women (42% versus 32%).
• Scanning QR codes is becoming a mainstream activity: 38% of young and 40% of middle age have scanned in the past three months.
• Location services are on the rise and are being driven by consumer incentives to check in. Younger demo- graphics are more likely to check in (35%) versus senior at 18%.
• AR and mobile wallets are still in the early stages. Only 19% of young adults have used AR or mobile wallets. Men are more likely than women to use these emerging technologies.
Best practices Different devices deserve different experiences. Today’s consumers expect equally optimized visits across
desktop and mobile devices. Brands must offer an engaging and dynamic mobile user experience design that meshes with their optimized desktop experiences to provide a consistent experience across all devices and screens. As sites add mobile-optimized implementations, there are several best practices to consider.
• Reduce touch events to conversion. Understanding the business goals and key performance indicators (KPIs) you are driving toward is the foundation of building any commerce strategy. Keep these in mind and design the mobile experience with the path of least resistance to achievement. Research has shown that conversion rates are directly impacted by streamlined paths to purchase—conversion should occur within three touch events. Two will be table stakes in the near future.
• Design for mobile interactions. The tablet and smartphone user experience needs to focus on touch-driven controls as the primary visitor interaction, rather than mouse clicks and keyboard controls. Take advantage of mobile display controls such as finger swipe, touch, drag, pinch, and zoom. Use simple, large buttons to designate interactions and navigation, such as a large shopping cart or video play button. If designing for mobile retail, incorporate rich product visualization that is optimized for device type. The difference in functionality shifts the user experience focus to embedded, large-viewer or full-screen interactive zoom and pan, 360-degree spin, and enhanced video functionalities.
Adobe 2012 Mobile Consumer Survey Results White Paper 10
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345 Park Avenue San Jose, CA 95110-2704 USA www.adobe.com
• Optimize for speed. Even a one-second delay in mobile page load time equals 7% loss in conversion, accord- ing to the Aberdeen Group. Lighten the load on a mobile-optimized website by incorporating dynamic media content, such as images, video, and campaign banners, that automatically adjusts content size, resolution, and format delivery based on the device platform and network detection.
• Make content “findability” easy. Mobile users have high intent, and the majority of mobile customers use search before they do anything else on m-commerce sites, making mobile site search optimization crucial. Use explicit navigational cues for easy browsing. Implement auto-suggest and auto-correct in search input boxes to address the difficulty of mobile typing. Provide the most compelling, relevant top-search results optimized for screen size and location.
In addition, the more positive consumers feel toward their mobile experience, the more ability brands have to build customer loyalty and improve conversion rates. And with over 40% of respondents reporting a negative- to-neutral rating for experiences in several areas across the categories of media consumption, travel services, financial services, and shopping, there is significant room for improvement.
Recommendations With mobile device user penetration expected to skyrocket well into 2015, it’s more important than ever for
organizations to connect all their channels—including web, social, call center, search—with mobile to achieve business objectives of conversion, revenue, and loyalty. Today’s digital marketers should review their mobile strategy to look for cross-channel execution opportunities and ensure that analytics are in place to measure success. While the following recommendations may not represent the ideal solution for every business, it is critical to integrate mobile marketing into your overall marketing strategy.
• Don’t launch mobile channels without analytics. Review your mobile sites and apps to ensure that analytics are in place to measure success from day 1. Direct measurement of visitor behavior is important to under- standing the effectiveness and ROI of mobile channels. This mobile consumer survey provides a snapshot of macro trends. However, Adobe recommends that you acquire the same insights about device platforms and user engagement for your mobile channels via the Adobe Digital Marketing Suite.
• Don’t forget about tablets. As reported in the Adobe Digital Marketing Index, tablets provide engagement levels nearly equivalent to desktop and laptop computers.4 Consequently, marketers need to plan and prioritize optimization efforts for tablet experiences that are unique and different from smartphones, given the larger screen size.
• Don’t launch a social mobile presence that is not mobile optimized. Review your owned social media channels to ensure that consumers can click through to offers and that tweets are optimized for smartphones and tablets.
• Don’t run mobile advertising campaigns that link to a desktop site. When planning your mobile search and display campaigns, ensure that landing pages are mobile-optimized and do not simply click through to the desktop home page.
• Don’t go solo when you go mobile. Seek guidance from Adobe Consulting and partners for expertise in mobile marketing.
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