Let’s play a game. How many of you have your phone within reaching distance at this current moment in time? If you do, think about how many times have you stopped to check a text or a social media notification today already. If the answer is ‘I don’t know, too many’ then you’re definitely not alone.
An article from Network World revealed smartphone users click, tap or swipe on their phone on average at least 2000 times a day. And we can only assume these numbers are only going to rise.
With the constant release of new phones and technology, it’s scary to think that we are now spending more time plugged in online than any other source of media.To further reinforce this, time spent per day on our mobile devices has increased by a staggering 575% in the last three years.
By now it should be pretty obvious that mobile apps play a vital role in our daily lives, especially when it comes to businesses with larger customer bases. From social media to photography and music based platforms, there are now more than two million apps available worldwide to choose from for iPhone and Android, but in reality, it can be difficult to pick out those that are actually worth your time.
According to a recent study taken from Marketing Land, 50% of our online digital time is spent swiping between the top five mobile apps: Facebook, Youtube, Facebook Messenger, Instagram and Snapchat.
Rather than using the mobile web or a computer to browse online content, this mobile trend shows us that users are slowly becoming reluctant to download and use new apps on the market, so inevitably it’s becoming twice as hard for new games and apps to get their fair share of airtime.
What’s interesting is that more than half of mobile audiences are downloading a total number of ‘zero’ new apps per month – the other half is more active, but the numbers skew towards the lower end of the scale. Millennials, on the other hand, are eager to download the latest apps on their phones, with many saying they’re now downloading more apps than they did a year ago.
Since the arrival of social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, it’s now easier than ever to direct message your friends on the go, share news at the click of a button or share hilarious viral videos of the time.
Even by using platforms such as Google maps (which is one of the most downloaded apps of all time) – it’s fair to say that we are becoming dependant on these digital processes and it wouldn’t be a normal day without checking our screens 24/7.
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The growth of digital apps
More so than ever, applications are being developed and evolved to work fluidly on our mobile phones or tablet devices. Facebook, for example, always ranks among the top drainers on Android phones, but nevertheless is still renowned as the world’s largest social network with more than two billion people logging into the service each month. Without even realising, social media are becoming addictive platforms as we always need to know what is happening, right here and now. Could you imagine not checking your social media pages for a whole day or week?
Although most of our time is spent on mobile apps, research from Marketing Land further reveals time spent on a desktop alone currently stands at just 34 percent, with smartphone app usage climbing over 50 percent. Interestingly, mobile web and tablets represent the remaining 16 percent of our time. Though it sees dramatically lower engagement, mobile web actually has roughly twice as much reach of mobile apps – so why aren’t we using it more?
More so, what does this say about current mobile app trends? Why have apps become such a powerful force in our daily media lives? The answer is: People want easy accessibility to information at the click of a button rather than having to spend time searching on the web. Information needs to be readily available and as quick as possible. Customers today are on the move and they’re using their phone apps like Google Maps to get to their destination and fast.
Ultimately, mobile apps can further help any business to find and retain loyal customers. We all know that the first thing you do when searching for a company is find them on the likes of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Linkedin, and the overall aim is to make a good impression on your consumers. Did you know, before a customer makes a purchase, they consume an average of 10.4 pieces of content. This moment is referred to as the “Zero Moment of Truth”. This Zero Moment of Truth can be met by people who are looking to do some online shopping, for example, are now able to open the business app and purchase an item straight away. Look to the likes of eCommerce giants ASOS and Amazon for some brilliant examples. This is why mobile apps are so important in today’s market.
ComScore
Results show that as a whole, we are spending just 34% of our time browsing online content via a desktop. Dominating the chart is the smartphone app with a whopping 50% and the smartphone web coming in short at just 7%. Not surprisingly with a technologically advanced generation, those in the 18–24 age group are spending the least time with the desktop, while those in the 65 or over category are spending the most.
Top Apps Used by Customers
According to comScore, just below 90% of a user’s’ mobile app time is spent within their top five apps. Predominantly spent on social media based platforms, the bigger picture means that 51 percent on all digital time (in the US) is now being spent within the user’s top five apps. Comscore also points out that this concentration of mobile app time translates into a “significantly smaller long-tail than desktop and mobile web.”
In terms of getting it right for your business, social media strategies are now more important than ever. In utilising social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Youtube, businesses should be creating social media strategies for clients, making them stand out from the rest and pushing their best assets. Making sure these platforms are active and represent your brands and products is crucial and may benefit your business in the long run.
If you’d like any advice on improving your business’s social media strategy, then do not hesitate to get in touch.
