Global mobile consumer trends: First edition

No country is immune to the charm of mobile screens

With the connected consumer evolving at an astounding rate, we surveyed almost 50,000 cross-generational consumers covering six continents, and 31 countries to get ahead of the mobile trends affecting some of the most impactful purchasing decisions.

Our first edition of the Global mobile consumer trends report provides a 360-degree view of the connected-consumer and focuses on consumer behaviors, trends, and opinions for a broad range of wireless and mobility products and services. In addition to exploring developed versus emerging market results and key insights, the survey highlights differences in consumer usage habits between specific countries.

Five key trends shaping the future of mobile connectivity include:

1. Mobility comes in all shapes and sizes—Almost 80 percent of global consumers have smartphones, nearly 10 percent own wearables, more than 50 percent have tablets, and seven percent own all three.
2. Consumers can’t get enough mobile screen time—93 percent of the consumers in emerging markets and 78 percent in developed markets look at their phone within an hour or less of waking up.
3. Text and instant message are consumer favorites—Globally consumers check text messages and instant messages (IM) first thing in the morning.
4. mPayment usage is picking up speed—47 percent of emerging market consumers reported using their phones to make in-store payments compared to 20 percent of consumers in developed markets.
5. Network versus Wi-Fi, a regional preference—In developed markets, 4G speeds are consistently higher than Wi-Fi speeds. Users in China consider 4G speed to be faster while commuting and in malls, whereas in Mexico users feel otherwise.

One key takeaway is that although developed markets are certainly well-connected, consumer habits in emerging markets show more intensity in their usage of mobile devices. Their tendencies to shift habits to accommodate the upcoming technologies is much more pronounced. The reality of the connected-consumer is here to stay, but just how connected, and on what types of devices will continue to evolve.