Your Client’s Digital Device Preference: Where do they like to find you?
How many electronic devices do you have in your home? Be honest. Three, four, ten? It’s not unusual for people to use multiple devices at the same time whether that is browsing the web on your desktop computer, checking social media on your mobile phone or responding to emails on your tablet… while watching TV. Now that’s what we call multi-tasking!
This cross utilisation of devices means that consumers have the ability to browse your store, purchase products or submit a contact us form from anywhere, at any time, whether that is on mobile, tablet, desktop or laptop. But, the question is, how do we know where to begin, what does the experience look like and what are consumers are actually using?
In this article, we aim to provide a better understanding of the way in which consumers are using devices and how you can use this information to benefit your business outcomes.
First, we need to understand where your conversions are taking place. Many people tend to move in and out of using various devices throughout any given day so it’s important that we understand what percentage of our overall traffic is coming from each device and which device people are more likely to convert through. This can give us an accurate representation of how your target audience finds your brand, views your pages or makes a conversion, ultimately allowing us to enhance your online performance.
Many business owners hold the belief that they need to be across every single device available in order to serve the needs of their customers. While there is a strong chance that they are, you should validate this belief with data from your website analytics system. Once you have established this you can then target your ads to be shown on only mobile devices, tablet, desktop or all three.
Smartphones
Photo Credit: DaveLawler via Compfight cc
You’d have to be living under a rock to have missed the memo on the mind-boggling surges we’re seeing in smartphone usage and consumer behaviour around smartphone technology these days.
As an integral part of our regular, everyday lives, smartphones display a very unique pattern of usage throughout the day. We mostly keep our smartphones with us from morning to night and even sleep beside them. The most active usage of smartphones is during business hours as this device becomes the preferred method of browsing, as people don’t always have access to their tablets. It’s worth pointing out though, that a decrease in mobile usage can be referenced every business day during the commuters rush, where less people use smartphones as they transition from work to home or vice versa.
- 80% of smartphone owners keep their smartphones with them during the day.
- Smartphones tend to appeal to an age group of 15-40.
- The average user launches their mobile apps up to 10 times per day.
- Smart phone use during the day is used for numerous purpose-based activities such as email, social media, banking, texting, appointments and calendar schedules.
- Tip: Look at targeting mobile devices through a small campaign to test its effectiveness in driving traffic, leads or sales throughout the day. Take note of what times your traffic peaks and increase advertising spend during this peak period of interaction.
Tablets
Tablet usage spikes in the evenings followed by a very short spike of use in the mornings prior to the work commute which indicates that tablets are used in a more relaxed style. People are more likely to be in the comfort of their own home, after work, after the kids are asleep or after they’ve finished sport and beginning to settle in for the night or evening. There is a larger interface, which means better quality browsing, large images, more features and also an increased level of comfort in purchasing online.
Some interesting facts that may influence marketers’ media device choices include:
- 40% of users access video content on a tablet versus 30% from a smartphone.
- 65% of users are using their tablet while watching TV at least once per day.
- Tablet use is linked to relaxed, lifestyle browsing when compared to smart phone use, which is seen more as necessity-based use.
- Tip: Ensure that the design elements of your mobile site are structured around your consumers needs during their time of searching. Whether that is ‘Contact Us’, ‘Locate Us’, ‘Trading Hours’ or ‘Product Search’.
It’s important to note that the kind of content and experience people are looking for while accessing your website through a tablet, is generally quite different from the information gathered on a smartphone.
Desktops
We are beginning to see that desktops are a dwindling consumer preference when compared with mobile browsers (smartphones and tablets).
Of course, these facts don’t render marketing from the desktop computer useless. More so, it’s that the preference for using them is mostly reserved for work-related purposes, such as report reading, document downloading, and when a QWERTY keyboard is required. Think about the researcher’s agenda, accessing forums, checking in on longer bodies of information – a desktop computer provides a better environment for gathering extensive information.
It’s also important to remember that while the younger audience of consumers from 15-40 tend to lean towards the smartphone or tablet to satisfy their user requirements, a target market aged over 40 may currently respond somewhat more readily to information available on a desktop. Whether you’re designing a mobile responsive site or looking to include a dedicated mobile site, let your website data lead the way to help you make the most informed business decisions possible.
Where does your most effective marketing tool reside? Whether it’s in the pockets, on the desk, or in the travel bag of your target client, the choice should now be easier to make. The information you’re now in possession of should help you to form some general opinions regarding which digital medium may be best for you to focus on.
You may not need to cover every base in order to reach your market in the way you need to. What changes can you make to ensure your market is getting the best service from you and how can you start making it a better experience for them today?
