In 2011, smartphones for the first time outsold desktop computers globally, which was a significant milestone in the digital era. And we have noted the trend recently with mobile app engagement, but it is worth repeating given its fundamental effect to the way all brands and those that manage their advertising and communications should be directing their efforts.
sources: IAB & Flurry
Already this year about 72% of a US smartphone owner’s overall time was spent engaging with mobile apps versus the mobile web. So while smartphones were beginning to assert their dominance in the personal computing realm, apps had already well and truly established their dominance as our preferred means of consuming content and performing actions on these devices.
This trend has only grown in subsequent years, and now, according to the recent IAB “State of Advertising” report, we spend 86% of our time with mobile apps as opposed to the mobile web. The overall time we spend with mobile devices has increased as well each year, as it was up 115% year over year across all apps, only magnifying the importance of the app.
If you look at these three consumer behavior trends;
- 72% of consumers have a more positive view of a company if it provides a customer service app (Nuance)
- 96% of consumers have reasearched a product or service on their phone (Google)
- Over one billion of Facebook’s 1.3 Billion users access their accounts via mobile each month (Facebook)