Diving into 2010 many are curious to know where mobile is headed. I recently came across an article with no fluff, just statistics. It did more then explain where mobile has been, where it’s going, and how fast people have adapted to mobile innovation.
Non-voice activity is considered to be texting (SMS), emailing, taking photos, playing a game, surfing the mobile web, and anything that does not require making a phone call.
With this in mind, here are a couple of statistics that caught my eye:
- 85 percent of adult Americans own a mobile phone.
- 81 percent of this 85 percent use their phone for something other than making a voice call at one time.
- 52 percent said they used their mobile phone for a non-voice activity.
- Cell phone users are more than twice as likely to send a text on the average day as do anything else.
- 85 percent of cell phone users have engaged in non-voice activity.
- 36 percent jump was seen over a 16 month period in regards to users that use non-voice data applications on a regular basis; reaching 44 percent.
- 46 percent increase among mobile phone users that engage in activities on a typical day.
- Text messaging increased 40 percent since 2007.
- Mobile email and accessing the Internet via mobile have both doubled during the 2007 to 2009 interval.
- 56 percent reported going online wirelessly via mobile.
- 74 percent have used the mobile Internet or used another non-voice data application on their mobile phones.
There is no doubt that the use of mobile will continue to increase, but I find myself wondering; if statistics are readily available and accessible, why aren’t more brands taking advantage of mobile marketing, advertising or other mobile services? Especially during this economic crisis, I see how companies can be holding onto traditional marketing, but with such empirical evidence mobile should not be doubted. On a different perspective, over half the population owns a mobile phone and with their mobile phone they are increasingly starting to use the mobile web, text more then they did before (which was already a lot), so why not take advantage of a popular social media the population is already relying on?
I believe 2010 will continue to show how beneficial mobile is, but we will just have to wait and see.
I already know I’m going to be hugging my fellow friends and family on New Year’s while sending out around a hundred “Happy New Year!” texts. At the same time, I know I’ll be flooded with texts, connecting everyone I know, and everyone they know in celebration. So be part of the connection, text! And make note that mobile innovation connects all of us on a unique level and that the first thing you might be doing to start off the new year is exactly what you’ll be doing the rest of the year, texting, surfing the mobile web, taking photos. . .etc!
Read the article here.