Connected Devices Surge in the U.S., Transforming Shopping and Media Consumption

SAN FRANCISCO, June 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- InMobi, the largest independent mobile advertising network, and Mobext, the mobile marketing arm of Havas Digital, announce that smartphone and tablet adoption is rising dramatically in the U.S., impacting how U.S. consumers shop and consume media. Tablet use has risen quickly to 29.5 million U.S. users, 11% of the total U.S. population.  These findings are part of global research the two companies conducted on 'The Role of Connected Devices in the Consumer Sales Journey,' a survey uniquely run across PC, smartphone, and tablet device users. The survey examines media consumption habits of over 9,600 respondents across seven different markets. Results demonstrated that consumers are spending more time on mobile connected devices, with time spent on smartphones and tablets playing a significant role in purchasing decisions.

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U.S. consumers have rapidly changed how they consume media and make purchases. The survey data reveals that these devices add to overall digital media time, creating new, exciting entertainment opportunities. For example, over 60% of U.S. tablet owners spend at least 30 minutes each day accessing media content on their tablets and 52% use a tablet to fill what previously would have been "dead time."  Phuc Truong, Managing Director, Mobext US, notes "These results confirm our position on the importance of integrating tablets into multi-channel campaigns from the start.  Our "mobile first" mantra for creative tablet- and mobile-specific solutions for clients continues to enhance their brands." 

Connected devices are also significantly cannibalizing other forms of entertainment consumption and shopping. When asked what activities they do less after owning a tablet, 29% of U.S. tablet users said they have reduced reading books in print. Another 29% of tablet owners claimed they reduced surfing the internet via their PC and/or laptop. Nearly half of tablet owners—48%—agree that tablets' appealing design and accessibility make it is easier to access media content than on a PC or laptop.

The survey demonstrated that in-store shopping has also been affected as these connected devices allow consumers to shop in ways that are more conducive to their lifestyle.  22% of tablet users claim they have shopped less in physical stores since purchasing a tablet and 55% of tablet owners make purchases on their device in an average month.  Survey results show that tablets have become the preferred device at home and smartphones are preferred on the go.  Together, smartphones and tablets eclipse much of the online activity previously done on PCs/laptops.  Users out of the home and in need of functional purchases consistently prefer making smartphone purchases. On-the-go shoppers complete the entire purchase cycle – from awareness to post-purchase social media—from their mobile device, surpassing PC and laptop use across the board. While transient shopping is held by the smartphone, tablet use peaks at home in the evening between 6 p.m. and midnight for most owners.  A relaxed mindset can be correlated to purchase decisions, as big purchases that require great consideration are being made at home from the browsing to buying stage.  In these cases, 55% of respondents report they first learn about the product on their tablet, 53% actively evaluate the product and 58% saying they follow through with purchasing those goods on their tablet.

Vice President and Managing Director of North America for InMobi, Anne Frisbie comments: "We are seeing a radical, steady shift from all other media channels to mobile –and so much of this momentum is owed to the transformative experiences connected devices are providing mobile consumers. We need to continue to look at mobile as a new channel that requires innovative ways of engaging with consumers while they are online at home or away from their desks as mobile continues to transform media consumption and shopping."

About Mobext

Mobext is the mobile marketing network of Havas Digital, the umbrella holding company that manages all Havas Media's interactive assets. Mobext was launched in 2007 as the first agency and strategic consulting company to offer specialised services within the international mobile marketing arena.

The network's main mobile marketing services include; mobile sites & apps, SMS/QR/2D bar code/image recognition, multi platform apps, m-commerce, social & LBS, music & video games, search, standard & rich media, augmented reality, amongst others.

Mobext currently operates in the US, Spain, France, UK, Portugal, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Argentina, India, Philippines, Colombia. Mobext works with a large list of blue chip clients globally such as Procter and Gamble, Barclays, Bimbo, Coty, Citroen, Grupo Prisa, Kmart, Nike, Pikolin, Planeta d'Agostini, Spanair, Telcel, Toyota, and Warner to name a few. Mobext has been awarded best mobile agency of 2011 in the US by Mobi Awards.

Please see www.mobext.com for more information.

About Havas Digital

Havas Digital is the umbrella holding company that manages all Havas Media's interactive companies. It comprises digital media networks Media Contacts, Lattitud and iGlue; Mobext, mobile advertising network; Socialyse, social marketing specialists; N2, WebNarrative and AIS, interactive marketing agencies.

Havas Digital brands provide data driven marketing solutions across all interactive channels: digital, direct response, relationship based media, and design. Havas Digital's companies work and complement each other bringing together professional expertise, proven strategic insight, and Artemis®, an advanced proprietary data platform and optimization engine, which allows the group agencies to maximize impact for the advertiser interactive marketing investment.

Havas Digital has consistently been present at the major interactive media festivals, winning over 100 awards worldwide throughout the past two years. Havas Digital's brands currently operate from 54 offices in 42 different countries across Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Australia, serving over 400 clients, including the market leaders such as Air France, Coca Cola, Danone, EDF, Fidelity, France Telecom, Hyundai / Kia, Nike, Peugeot/Citroen, Repsol, Reckitt Benckiser, Telefonica, TUI, Walmart and Yahoo! amongst others.

Please go to www.havasdigital.com for more information. About InMobi

About InMobi

InMobi is the largest independent mobile advertising network. With offices on five continents InMobi provides advertisers, publishers and developers with a uniquely global solution for advertising. The network is growing and now delivers the unprecedented ability to reach 578 million consumers, in over 165 countries, through billions of mobile ad impressions daily. The recent acquisition of Sprout, a leading HTML5 authoring platform for mobile rich media, helps expand the InMobi offering to creative agencies and brands.

InMobi is venture-backed by investors including: SoftBank, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Sherpalo Ventures. The company has offices in Bangalore, Johannesburg, London, Nairobi, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Seoul, Singapore and Tokyo.

To learn more, please visit www.inmobi.com/research, follow us Twitter @InMobi, or read our blog at www.inmobi.com/inmobiblog/.

About the Research

The study examined the use cases for three different devices: tablets, smartphones, and personal computers, to gain insight on how they complement each other and when, where, and why they are each used. The survey was conducted on-device and includes over 9,600 respondents in seven markets, recruited through InMobi's global mobile ad network and targeted to include a full range of smartphones and tablets across all major mobile OS platforms. In the U.S. there was a sample of 904 respondents, including over 200 tablet users, over 564 smartphone users, and over 140 personal computer users.

SOURCE InMobi