Are We Addicted To Our Smartphones?

Hello again everyone! I realize that the last few posts have been about mobile devices, but this trend isn’t going away; in fact, it is steadily growing. It is becoming ever more imperative that businesses understand consumer behavior and how this behavior influences the economy.

More and more, consumers are using their smartphones for everyday, menial tasks. Things that all used to be separated by different technologies are all coming together in that small device we carry everywhere. I started to think, how often do I use my smartphone, and what for? The list is increasingly long, and has grown immensely just over the past year.

I must admit, it took me a while to climb aboard the smartphone train. My first “smartphone” was a Sprint LG Optimus, and I thought that was wonderful. And at the time it was, for a few months. But then I started to hear all my friends talk about their amazing iPhones and how they have an app for this and an app for that. I must admit I was jealous! Games that I could only play if I deleted all other apps from my phone my friends could play continuously while still keeping all their other apps.  

When I finally got my brand new iPhone 5, I was hooked! The first day I think I downloaded over 20 apps just because I could. Now, I can’t imagine not using at least half of those apps on a daily basis. I know I would not be able to make it on time to work every morning without my alarm clock app. I am constantly logging in to MyFitnessPal to monitor my exercise and calorie intake. And then there’s social media, which is a whole other beast.

The more I begin to think of my smartphone usage, the more I realize that in today’s society, consumers are addicted to their smartphones. I have found that even when I am hanging out with friends, there is always some point in the night were we are all on our smartphones. With all this in mind, I have come to the conclusion that yes, we are addicted to our smartphones.

Recently, Apigee, an API Company, performed a Mobile App Behavior Survey. This survey measured users’ mobile behavior in the U.S., Germany, UK, France, and Spain.  Spain turned out to be the most addicted, and 82% of those surveyed stated they couldn’t go without certain apps for even a day, ranking email, Facebook, and Alarm & Clock as the most critical.

So what does this data tell us? No matter if you are in the B2B market, or B2C, the rapid growth of the mobile industry is something every business owner should monitor and understand. Consumers are using their phones to purchase items, look up information, and in essence, find your business. As a business owner, you need to keep this in mind when marketing and promoting your business. The age-old methods are showing to be ineffective, and in this generation, you can either jump on the bandwagon or get left in the dust.

Are you addicted to your smartphone? What are some of the apps you can’t go a day without? Let us know in the comments below! Thanks and I hope you all have a great week!

Until next time,

Julie

Sources:

http://mashable.com/2013/02/26/smartphone-users-giving-up-mobile-apps/