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Speed was the most important factor for consumers’ mobile Web experience in eight out of 10 countries surveyed by software solutions specialist Netbiscuits. The latest data, extracted from the the company’s People’s Web Report and featuring responses from 5,000 consumers, found that the starkest differences in mobile usage were between developed and emerging markets.
Emerging markets such as China and Brazil spend more time using their mobile devices for functional pursuits such as banking and shopping, whereas in developed markets users are more often searching for information. Security was found to be more of a concern for developed markets such as the United Kingdom, Australia and Germany, whereas emerging markets were more interested in personalized experiences.
“For many consumers in emerging markets, a mobile device is much more than a tool for on-the-go internet access. It can often be their only connected device, which would explain why they are so often used for such a vast array of practical activities in countries such as China, India and Brazil,” Paul Berney, chief marketing officer and general manager of the Mobile Marketing Association’s EMEA division, said in a statement. “This trend of using mobile as primary or exclusive access device appears to be increasing all over the world.”
In the U.K. and Australia consumers placed the most importance on security. In the U.S., faster downloads (59 percent of respondents), an experience closer to the PC web (39 percent) and ease of use (36 percent) headed up the items that would improve user mobile web experiences.
“Even in the UK, mobile browsing is growing at a much faster rate than fixed-line access. In emerging markets it is particularly prevalent due to the lack of fixed-line alternatives,” Berney continued. “In fact, in many of these markets, users are bypassing fixed-line Internet access altogether and moving straight to mobile. Mobile access is transforming the global media landscape and will continue to transform user habits for years to come.”
In terms of downloading apps when prompted by a brand website, U.S. and China are at opposite ends of the spectrum. Whereas 41.5 percent of respondents in the U.S. would opt out against downloading an app, almost half (48 percent) of their Chinese counterparts said they would usually download the app, with only 3 percent saying they would never do so. In addition, just under a third (31 percent) of those stated that they download the apps because they assume they have to.
In the U.S, more than 15 percent respondents admitted to spending more than 30 minutes shopping on their smartphones every day, with 2.6 percent admitting to spending over 3 hours. In China, 49 percent of consumers spend at least 30 minutes a day shopping on their smartphones, whereas in the U.K., consumers are far more likely to prefer shopping on their tablets, with 37 percent stating that they do this every day.