Analysis: Keeping pace in Britainâs âsmartphone societyâ
New research from media regulator Ofcom shows extent of Britainâs mobile ecosystem
The growth of mobile is no secret but the results from Ofcom’s 2015 Communications Market Report has illustrated the sheer speed of Britainâs transition towards a smartphone-first society.
While the headline figures show two-thirds of the country now owns a smartphone, using it on average two hours a day â of more interest is the way smartphones are quickly becoming the primary internet access tool for a large number of people.
In 2014, Ofcom reported that 22% considered their phone the most important device for going online with 40% preferring their laptop. One year on, 33% turn to their phone first compared to just 30% who prefer the laptop.
Powering growth
Britainâs commercial sector has reacted with varying speed to the emergence of mobile as the countryâs dominant online platform. Egaming operators certainly donât lag behind the mean but it would be a stretch to say the industry is driving mobile innovation.
What the Ofcom survey shows is that the great mobile migration isnât just a reality to which any ecommerce must react to or die. It is also an opportunity to grow your business.
Dig deeper into the research and it becomes clear that mobile is now the best channel on which to engage customers, particularly among the key 16-24 demographic where 90% own a smartphone.
â4G has supercharged our smartphones. For the first time, smartphones have overtaken laptops as the UK’s most popular internet device and are now the hub of our daily lives,â James Thickett, Ofcom director of research, said.
Mobile first
Mobile first has become the favoured buzzword of the egaming sector in recent months, but much of the transition to the channel remains reactive. While it is still important to better adapt desktop offerings to mobile and ensure new products and updates can be rolled quickly, there also needs to be a more proactive element to the mobile revolution.
As eGaming Review’s own research showed this week, operators offerings on the mobile channel are still falling short of some playersâ expectations.
The reality is that mobile is now the most important battlefield for both new and existing customers, with users now spending an extra 45 minutes a day on their smartphone than on laptops or PCs.
Mobile first is not just about ensuring your mobile offering is optimised and as extensive as your desktop product. It is about rethinking the way your business operates so it remains in tune with the primary way we access the internet.