Mobile phones began a worldwide revolution when they provided consumers with the first experience of connecting online away from a computer and a fixed Internet connection. The development of smartphones took the power of mobile technology a step further and shifted consumers’ expectations for accessing digital content.
Now, a new movement appears to be on the rise as devices such as tablets, gaming consoles, and e-readers – collectively known as “connected devices” – gain popularity and are increasingly integrated into daily digital life. The people using the devices are the new Digital Omnivores – not just because of the media they consume, but also in how they consume it. Cross-platform consumption has created a vastly different digital landscape, and it is one that requires insight into both the individual usage of devices as well as the nature of their complementary use.
Carmela Aquino and Sarah Radwanick at comScore, Inc. have researched the phenomenon and have come up with some insights and statistics:
Digital omnivores are a global phenomenon. Singapore, UK, U.S., Japan and Australia combined had more than 5 percent of Internet traffic coming from non-computer devices, with Singapore leading the way at 7.2 percent. Mobile phones drive digital traffic around the world and tablets are gaining steam. Increased WiFi availability and mobile broadband adoption in the U.S. are helping drive connectivity. Today, half of the total U.S. mobile population uses mobile media.
The growth in mobile media use is driven by the increase in Smartphone adoption. In the U.S., Smartphone adoption has grown more than 50 percent in the past year, with 36.1 percent of Americans age 13 and older now using them. The iOS platform has the largest share of connected devices and smartphones in use in the U.S. and accounts for the largest share of Internet traffic in the U.S.
iPads dominate among tablets in driving digital traffic. Nearly 3 out of 5 tablet owners consume news on their tablets and update their social networking status or comment on others’ statuses on their devices. Slightly less than half shared their location using a location-sharing site. Nearly half of tablet owners have made or completed a purchase on their tablet.
With more devices entering the market and consumer adoption rates of multiple devices surging, the industry must prepare for consumption-significant disruption to the digital media environment. Audience measurement can no longer be confined to the desktop or laptop environment to understand the full profile of today’s digital consumer. Understanding consumer behaviors across computer, mobile, tablet and other connected devices will be increasingly important as brands seek to optimize strategies and allocate dollars appropriately across platforms.
Digital Omnivores: Are they part of your marketing strategy?