TNS, released results of its annual Global Telecoms and Insight Study. The study was comprised of over 24,000 consumers in 35 markets.
The study shows strong promise for the mobile phone market in 2010 with 53% of Americans (55% Canada) planning to buy a mobile phone in the next six months, up from just 24% (19% Canada) this time last year. Touchscreen phones are set to be the big winners, with 29% of consumers (28% Canada) looking to buy one as their next phone. Mobiles with Qwerty keyboards are also rising in popularity, with 23% (19% Canada) planning to purchase one as their next device.
Another mobile device that stands to do well in 2010 is the Netbook. Despite current penetration levels being relatively low, 19% of American consumers say they are likely to buy one in the next six months, compared to 19% for larger Notebooks and only 5% for desktop PC's. (Canada is 20% Netbook, 22% Notebook, 5% Desktop).
Global Telecoms Suggestions/Findings
- Purchase intent has returned to pre-2008 levels with 55% of consumers looking to purchase a device in the next 6 months, up from 23% a year ago.
- In spite of returning confidence, the industry must help consumers overcome the growing complexity of the category and continue to offer simple and compelling offers.Consumers are craving simplicity in services
43% of consumers are prevented from using services through their mobile due to issues associated with ease of use. - Remove barriers for consumers; The process of searching for, downloading and using services must be intuitive and seamless.'Social' will be the backbone that mobile services are built from
30% of mobile internet users are now accessing social networks through their mobile, up from 19% last year. - Consumers don't just want to collect content, they want to create, share and comment on it.Despite the rise of the internet as a transaction point, ignore the retail store at your peril!
- But while these trends point towards an upturn in the sector, there are also new forces at work which will restrict the potential for growth unless properly dealt with. TNS' research shows that consumers are faced with a plethora of new devices, and find it hard to distinguish one from the other. Also, 27% of Amercian consumers (Canada 29%) highlight ease of use problems as preventing them from using some of the new mobile services offered.
Buehrer mentioned: "There are potential barriers to growth. The sheer number of phones on the market means that network quality is deteriorating as operators struggle to cope with data overload. Also, competing devices such as netbooks and data access cards have the potential to take a large chunk of mobile data's available bandwidth. If these challenges can be dealt with, the industry can look forward to what will be its most prosperous decade to date."
About the Global Telecoms Insights Study
GTI 2010 is a global study designed to provide an overview of the evolution of mobility and technology in consumer lives. It is used by clients to help with brand, channel and product development strategies through understanding the needs, pain points and changing preferences of 27,000 consumers in 35 markets. http://www.tnsglobal.com/market-research/technology-research/gti.aspx