With the growing popularity of mobile devices, it is easy to assume we know how the Internet is being used. Assumptions don’t help you cater to your real customers however. It is important to know the characteristics of today’s Internet users in order to successfully appeal to them as potential customers.
Mobile Searches Lead to Action
Unlike Internet users crawling sites from the comfort of their laptops or home or work PCs, mobile users follow through with their Internet searches fairly quickly. They are not window shoppers or browsers, and for the most part, they are not just wasting time. In fact, a whopping 70 percent of mobile users will act upon a search within an hour of making it.
This shows that mobile searchers are looking for immediate solutions or information. Forty percent of searches are conducted while the searchers are watching TV. It is more important than ever for sites to be easily accessible through search-engine results and be capable of serving visitors through their mobile devices. Nearly half of all mobile users, a whopping 40 percent, will leave a site that does not work well on a tablet or cellphone.
Mobile Means More than Cellphone
Forty percent of mobile device users also access the Internet from something other than a cellphone. That is a surprising statistic for a group largely ignored by website developers. Despite the advancements in HTML5, growth of tablet-optimized websites has yet to be seen.
An Active and Growing Customer Base
People with mobile access to the Internet tend to search often. Forty-five percent use search features daily. They use the Internet with purpose and do not settle for substandard sites. To stay abreast of the competition, site owners may want to invest in designs that cater to this new customer base.
