The mobile market has progressively become a tight market. Based on data from comScore, Android leads with just over 50 percent of the market of mobile OS with Apple following behind with 40 percent of the market. When it comes to devices, Apple leads with over 40% of the market and Samsung trailing at just under 30%.
On a local and SMB level the competition is also increasingly tightening as businesses mobile offerings are maturing and competing for market share with their mobile applications and mobile web sites. A new report from B2X and Motorola can help shed light on how businesses can improve their position by including this into their next iPhone application development or Android application development project.
According their report, customer service is the key factor to more mobile customers. B2X polled US smartphone owners about their mobile experience and based on their research post-sales service and customer support was the most important purchase factor for consumers they polled.
“We encourage our customers to utilize applications to improve communication not only to consumers but from consumers,” states Kimber Johnson, Managing Director, Vanity Point. “A quick response to service issues can be invaluable and mobile is the perfect medium to make that happen.”
According to the 3rd Annual US Mobile Path to Purchase Study, mobile is pushing purchase decisions. Often the actual purchasing of those products is happening in physical stores but consumers are researching their decision on mobile devices beforehand, which creates an excellent opportunity for businesses that are prepared with a solid mobile strategy covering mobile applications and mobile friendly web sites.
“Mobile is becoming a increasingly more important way to drive in-store activity for businesses,” say Kimber Johnson, Managing Director of Vanity Point. “Consumers are looking to make decisions quickly and often with a local focus, so we are seeing businesses that are prepared are benefiting.”
Points of interest from the study include:
1) Over a third of mobile shoppers say that they use mobile exclusively or that mobile is their most important research tool.
2) 64 percent of mobile shoppers say they finish purchases in-store rather than on their mobile devices.
3) 53 percent of mobile shoppers call local businesses from mobile search results.
Ability to access an audience that is looking to buy on their preferred device is essential. The study also states that product research typically happens at the beginning of the purchase funnel and that 65 percent of shoppers said they complete the purchase that day.
“Designing and developing mobile applications for both the iOS and Android platforms and mobile web sites to support the consumers in store experience is helping push purchase decisions,” continues Mr. Johnson, “putting the tools consumers want in their hands is essential in the modern market.”
Recently, Rumble released a mobile user engagement study that some key data when it comes to the behaviors of consumer mobile engagement. A key point of their data is that there are big differences in how consumers share mobile content depending on the content and the type of device they use.
Interestingly, Android users were shown to be 2 – 3 times more likely to share articles than iOS users. According to Rumble, “Although building a high-performing Android mobile app can be time intensive and expensive the Android market is continuing to grow and now represents more than half of the U.S. smartphone market”. Therefore, those publishers who want to grow their audience and reach will benefit from having an Android presence.
Additionally, if you thought the most used way users share mobile news articles was via Facebook or Twitter, you would be surprised to learn that according to Rumble, email is the top sharing method (76 percent) versus 12% who use Twitter and another 12% who use Facebook. Clearly it is important that marketers support email sharing in their mobile apps.
It was also shown that iPhone users display 3X more likely to share an article than iPad users. Clearly if your mobile model has sharing as fundamental point, your mobile application development plans should start with an Android application and follow with an iPhone application.
Rumble’s findings also show that push notification is a key engagement tool with rates as high as 70 percent of an app’s user base opening the app with just a single push. Clearly this is an excellent tool for continued engagement with your application.