By Luanne Teoh on 06-06-2011

Luanne Teoh

June 6, 2011

Nielsen predicts that one in two Americans will own a smartphone by Christmas of 2011. A jump in 29% adoption rate to 50% compared to the fourth quarter of 2009 of 21%.

While this is a remarkable jump in numbers, the fast adoption rate predicted is due to the availability of apps, better basic built-in features and the declining prices of smartphone devices.

On a global level according to Gartner, mobile communication device sales totaled 427.8 million units in the first quarter of 2011, an increase of 19 percent from the first quarter of 2010. Smartphones continued to outpace the rest of the market, and a newly competitive mid-tier smartphone market will drive smartphones into mass adoption and accelerate this trend.

On the US domestic front, companies like cars.com have reported an increase in over 30 percent in visits to their mobile site and 39 percent of visitors who accessed cars.com on their mobile devices were actually already at the dealers lot shopping for a car. To top it off, these were 2009 figures. It would not be surprising if the numbers have since doubled.

If that is the case on the hardware and device level, then it will be of no surprise that an explosion of activity will happen on a mobile shopping level. The infographic below clearly illustrates the opportunity the mobile realm is presenting to both consumers and merchants alike.

According to Millenial Media, advertisers are using mobile as reach and cross-platform vehicle and brands are moving directly from traditional media to mobile.

Google has already launched its Wallet App which allows you to pay for purchases via a smartphone. However, the bottom line is not going to be how awesome your mobile app is. The next phase of mobile marketing strategy is competing for customer mobile loyalty and engagement through check-ins, mobile deals, mobile to in-store events and promotions

Have you thought about your core customer group’s mobile behavior, adoption rate and trends?

About Luanne Teoh

Luanne is a senior correspondent for BizTechDay focused on Small Business Tech, Mobile and China based in San Francisco. Apart from a keen interest in technology, Luanne is also and avid explorer of the globe, cultures and people.

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