Gone are the days when mobile phones were used for “emergency calling” purposes only. The cell phone dominates every area of our life from purchasing decisions to warehouse and DC applications to global supplier visibility access and more. And as more consumers worldwide continue to turn to phones before making important purchases, so too will the supply chain experience a shift in increased mobility interactions.
According to a new survey report from mobile video and media company Vuclip, which delivers more than 25 million videos to consumers globally, 62 percent of survey respondents turn to their phone before making important purchases, as opposed to 10 percent who wait to research on their desktop. This data—comprised of the more than 120,000 respondents surveyed globally—increases the younger the consumer gets. Approximately 82 percent of teenagers 18 and younger use their phone to decide while only five percent use their desktop.
Those numbers shift dramatically with respondents under 18, 82% of whom said they look to their phone for direction before turning to their desktop, friends, or local retailers.
“We sliced the data expecting the key findings to vary from region to region, but really the biggest difference we saw in responses was less geographical and more generational,” said Nickhil Jakatdar, Chief Executive Officer, Vuclip. “The under 18 crowd is really driving trends. Another big take away here is that when considering advertising, brands are missing a huge opportunity if they are focused only on the desktop.”
Survey results also indicate a growing acceptance of mobile phone use in social settings, and offer a look at the extent to which we view mobile devices as symbols of status. Perhaps most significantly, the survey offers some surprising statistics on where we look to first when researching an important purchase.
To see more results please view this link for Global results and this link for U.S. specific results.
