The shift to mobile is on. Consumers are spending more and more time with mobile as growth slows for time online with desktop and laptop a report for eMarketer shows. But what does mobile mean?
The common assumption is that mobile both refers to smartphones and tablets and both devices are similar to the other. Of course, there are similarities between the devices as both are app and web connected, personally customized, portable and touchscreen enabled.
But the similarities end here and companies would be best served by taking advantage of the unique features and differences each device offers. While thinking mobile, most companies think smartphone first. However, the reality is that many brands (like Toyota) could benefit from thinking tablet first.
Tablets drive mobile sales
When discussing tablet vs. smartphones an interesting fact is, that tablets will drive 65% of mobile commerce sales in 2013, even though smartphones still make up the majority of connected devices in the U.S., according to another eMarketer report released on April 24, 2013.
The report further predicts that in 2017, tablets’ share of US retail mcommerce sales will rise to 71.5% vs. 27% for smartphone.
Different devices for different situations
Marketers that want to embrace mobile devices in their marketing efforts need to understand that consumers use different devices in different situations. The majority of tablet usage is spent on more emotional activities such as shopping, gaming and entertainment while smartphone usage tends to center around more functional daily activities such as social, photos, weather and maps. Thereby, the tablet provides a deeper engagement than the smartphone which is used more frequently but for shorter periods of time according to Flurry.
In the same study, Flurry proves that tablets have a greater spike of usage during the prime-time television window, whereas smartphone usage is more evenly distributed throughout the day. This indicates that tablets are more often used as the second screen alongside television in the evening or even as a substitute for television.
Both tablets and smartphones have great potential for creating value for brands but simply said; smartphones are used differently and serve different purposes than tablets. Therefore, marketers must know their target group when deciding which platform to go for.
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