Azuki Systems announced the results of its first annual U.S.
mobile phone user survey. Over
54% of those surveyed said their mobile phone usage had increased by
more than 25% over the last two years, and one in five respondents said
it had increased by more than 50%.
A significant catalyst behind this
growth is smartphone adoption, with 62% of respondents indicating they
either own or will own such a device in the next 12 months.
Despite
increased adoption, almost 80% of those surveyed said they wished it
were easier to access information from the Internet on their mobile
phones, and an equal percentage stated they wished it were easier to
access rich media on their mobile phones.
The majority of those
surveyed pointed to a number of current obstacles to enjoying rich
media on mobile. For example:
- 69% felt that the long time to download
and/or play media ranked among their top three barriers. - 66% felt
that difficulties finding and navigating to relevant content was a top
three inhibitor. - A number of shortcomings were also identified for
iPhone and BlackBerry users. Almost 40% iPhone users, almost 40% report they wish it was
easier to access rich media. In terms of Blackberry users, 73% do not access video on
their device.
Mobile Takes Time
Regardless
of which mobile device they are using, U.S. mobile phone users are
spending a significant amount of time on their phones. Survey findings
showed:
- Gabfest:
33% talk on their mobile phones more than 10 hours per week.The
youngest generation is spending even more time, with 34% of those 17
and younger talking for more than 15 hours/week.
- TXT:
Of the 79% who send text messages from their phones, 29% do so for more
than two hours/week. Again, the younger generations prove to be power
users, with 37% of those less than the age of 22 texting for more than
two hours/week. With only a gradual drop-off in text messaging for 23
to 44 year-olds, a generational gap is evident with a sharp decline to
almost no usage for those approaching age 60 and older.
- Email:
50% access their e-mails from their mobile phones, with nearly 30% of
those between the ages of 35 and 44 doing so for more than two hours
per week.
- Webaholics: 52% access the Web
via their mobile phones, and 35 to 44 year-olds are leveraging this
technology the most, with 60% spending time each week surfing the Web.
Perhaps fueling a significant portion of this growth was iPhone
adoption, which according to the survey results appeared strongest
among 23 to 44 year-olds. In addition, there was clear evidence of 23
to 34 year-olds trading up their feature phones for smartphones as they
move into the corporate world.
- TV: 25% access
video on their mobile phones, with 88% of this group spending less than
two hours/week, which may indicate a growing appetite for rich media
with shorter duration viewing patterns.
Socialization & Monetization
Survey results show that the
social networking craze is starting to heat up on the third screen as
well. Twenty-five percent of mobile users are accessing social
networking sites from their mobile devices with one in seven
respondents between the ages of 23 to 34 doing so for more than two
hours/week. Sixty-four percent of those surveyed reported that they
would share content via their mobile phone with their contacts from
social networking sites if it were easier to do so.
The survey
results also proved good news for mobile advertisers. Almost 70% of
mobile users surveyed would prefer mobile ads in exchange for free
access to mobile content. Additionally, if their mobile phones had
location tracking capabilities that would present them with promotions
for local businesses, more than 65% would take advantage of this
opportunity.
The survey was conducted with over 275 U.S. mobile
consumers of varying demographic backgrounds.