NEW YORK: Smartphone penetration in the US has reached 82% of the potential market, rising to 93% among consumers aged 18 to 24, a new survey has revealed.
According to professional services firm Deloitte, nearly 264m Americans use their mobile phones 12bn times per day, on aggregate, although there are signs that many people are trying to moderate their dependence on their devices.
Among the comprehensive US findings in its 2017 Global Mobile Consumer Survey, Deloitte reported that nearly half (47%) of US consumers are now making a conscious effort to reduce or limit their smartphone usage.
However, the number of times users look at their phones has remained pretty consistent over the past three years at about 47 times a day – although that doesn’t apply to 18- to 24-year-olds, who check their phones 86 times each day.
In addition, 89% of consumers check their phones within an hour of waking up, while 81% look at their phones an hour before going to sleep, which Deloitte said was consistent with its findings for 2016.
It reported that even though consumers’ usage and behaviour are beginning to mature, it is still the case that nearly two-thirds replace their devices every two years.
Furthermore, almost two-thirds (63%) visited a carrier store in the last year, suggesting retail stores provide an important connection to the mobile consumer, while 20% visited a carrier store in the last month.
The report also revealed that text messages are used by 91% of smartphone users, although 86% make a phone call at least once a week, meaning that voice usage is up 9% since 2016.
Deloitte further revealed a “dramatic shift” in 2017 to long-form video, with live TV experiencing the greatest increase after nearly doubling year-over-year from 14% to 27%.
Meanwhile, overall growth rates for wearables slowed slightly after two years of double digit growth, but mobile payments continued to gain popularity with 29% of consumers making an in-store mobile payment – up nearly 50% since 2016.
“While traditional mobile services have matured in 2017, the opportunities presented by ‘made for mobile’ content, IoT services, wearables and VR represent a significant value proposition to both industry and consumers,” said Craig Wigginton, Vice Chairman and Telecommunications Leader at Deloitte.
“Our view is that the industry’s incredible connection with American consumers is about the innovation and value that the mobile ecosystem brings to consumers and that shows every sign of accelerating in the year ahead.”
According to professional services firm Deloitte, nearly 264m Americans use their mobile phones 12bn times per day, on aggregate, although there are signs that many people are trying to moderate their dependence on their devices.
Among the comprehensive US findings in its 2017 Global Mobile Consumer Survey, Deloitte reported that nearly half (47%) of US consumers are now making a conscious effort to reduce or limit their smartphone usage.
However, the number of times users look at their phones has remained pretty consistent over the past three years at about 47 times a day – although that doesn’t apply to 18- to 24-year-olds, who check their phones 86 times each day.
In addition, 89% of consumers check their phones within an hour of waking up, while 81% look at their phones an hour before going to sleep, which Deloitte said was consistent with its findings for 2016.
It reported that even though consumers’ usage and behaviour are beginning to mature, it is still the case that nearly two-thirds replace their devices every two years.
Furthermore, almost two-thirds (63%) visited a carrier store in the last year, suggesting retail stores provide an important connection to the mobile consumer, while 20% visited a carrier store in the last month.
The report also revealed that text messages are used by 91% of smartphone users, although 86% make a phone call at least once a week, meaning that voice usage is up 9% since 2016.
Deloitte further revealed a “dramatic shift” in 2017 to long-form video, with live TV experiencing the greatest increase after nearly doubling year-over-year from 14% to 27%.
Meanwhile, overall growth rates for wearables slowed slightly after two years of double digit growth, but mobile payments continued to gain popularity with 29% of consumers making an in-store mobile payment – up nearly 50% since 2016.
“While traditional mobile services have matured in 2017, the opportunities presented by ‘made for mobile’ content, IoT services, wearables and VR represent a significant value proposition to both industry and consumers,” said Craig Wigginton, Vice Chairman and Telecommunications Leader at Deloitte.
“Our view is that the industry’s incredible connection with American consumers is about the innovation and value that the mobile ecosystem brings to consumers and that shows every sign of accelerating in the year ahead.”
Sourced from Deloitte; additional content by WARC staff
