Mobile / Smartphones
The operator announced it had struck an agreement with Westminster City Council and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
It will cost taxpayers no extra money, according to O2, which will start building the infrastructure for the free Wi-Fi in January 2012.
A number of tech giants have joined the free Wi-Fi for London bandwagon over the past year. In November 2011, it emerged Nokia was to sponsor free Wi-Fi across 26 street hotspots. Virgin has said it is planning a free Wi-Fi network in the capital, but little is known about when or where. (ITPRO, January 2012)
43.7% of mobile subscribers in the UK used a pre-installed app in the 3 month average ending August 2011, according to comScore.
Mobile use in the UK, 3 Month Average Ending August 2011:
- Sent Text Message: 90.5%
- Used Application (excl. pre-installed): 43.7%
- Used Browser: 45.9%
- Listened to Music: 25.4%
- Accessed Social Networking Site or Blog: 34.3%
- Accessed News: 25.4%
- Played Games: 33.3%
- Used Smartphone: 45.6%
(comScore, October 2011)
Travel has emerged as the top performing sector in the latest UK App Benchmark from eDigitalResearch. Search and find travel apps received an average satisfaction score of 83% in the study which covers 70 apps across eight different sectors including travel, flights and hotels.
The satisfaction score, based on elements including features, product information and overall experience, for hotels and flight apps was 81% and 75% respectively.
The National Trust app gained the best score within the travel sector with 89.5% while booking.com came top of the hotel sector with 87%, and the Lufthansa app, top for flights with 81%.
Scores of between 80% and 89.9% are seen as good while anything between 70% and 79.9% is judged as average. Travel search and find apps were said to be easy to use and navigate with well laid-out information that was easy to digest.
Further findings from the study for all industry sectors show consumers:
- Expect a range of products and information available via the app and not less than what they can access via the brand's website.
- Apps are expected to mirror websites but make information easier to view and digest.
- Functionality, such as the ability to check-in or book, is also expected to be on a par with company websites.
The eMysteryShopper survey was conducted in August and September 2011 to compare the customer journey via an Apple device - iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. (tnooz - talking travel tech, October 2011)
There have been significant changes in the way people connect to the internet in the UK in recent years, according to the Office for National Statistics. In 2011, almost half of internet users connected to the internet, using a mobile phone, while away from the home or office. There were 17.6 million mobile phone internet users in 2011, representing 45% of internet users, compared to 8.5 million users (23%) in 2009.
The use of wireless (wi-fi) hotspots also increased markedly with 4.9 million people using hotspots at hotels, restaurants, airports etc, compared to 0.7 million people in 2007.
There was significant growth in the adoption of mobile Internet technology over the previous 12 months, with an extra 6 million people using their mobile phone to access the Internet than reported in 2010.
The rate of growth in the use of this technology was fastest among those aged 16 to 24, with internet use over a mobile phone increasing from 44% to 71% over the previous 12 months. However, there have been notable increases across all age groups.
Since 2009, when the measurement of mobile phone internet use in this survey began, the number of women using mobile phones to access the internet has more than doubled, from 18% of internet users to 39% in 2011.
Mobile internet use via a laptop, tablet or other portable computer also proved popular in 2011, with 38% of internet users using these mobile devices away from the home or workplace. (Office for National Statistics, August 2011)
Nearly 20 million overseas visitors used a mobile phone when in the UK during 2010, according to VisitBritain.
VisitBritain findings also show that 60% of tourists visiting for holiday or pleasure purposes had used a mobile phone at least once during their stay, with a vast majority of business visitors also using a mobile phone while in the country.
The highest proportion of mobile phone users were those in the 35-44 age group, while visitors from Norway and the UAE had the largest desire to make or receive calls (about 80%). Holiday visitors from Canada and Japan were much less likely to do so (about 40%).
Unsurprisingly it was business visitors who were far more likely to be found using a laptop while abroad, especially those from Brazil (88%), UAE (81%) and the US (80%). According to the research, holiday visitors from Hong Kong (57%) and the UAE (54%) were more prolific laptop users than their counterparts from around the globe. (TravelDailyNews, August 2011)
At 80% smartphone usage (up by nearly 10 percentage points on April 2010) and 29% tablet ownership, the global business elite, as always take the lead in technology with only 5% of the rest of the UK population owning a tablet.
Familiar faces still dominate the smartphone market, but Apple is certainly making a dent in BlackBerry's once huge monopoly, with almost of third of business elites using an iPhone now instead.
On the tablet market, the iPad is almost ubiquitous. At 91% market share Apple is the BlackBerry of tablets for the business elite.
Apps are set to redefine how we do business, and with the number available exploding in the past few years alone, the business elite have downloaded over 14.3 million of them. However, they aren't using them as a new way to do business, and the bigger the screen the more they favour apps designed for entertainment.
Downloads of business and international news apps top the smartphone list (57%), followed by weather (51%) and games apps (38%), but for tablets, app downloads sway toward leisure with games (64%) and books (60%) and news apps arriving only third at 58% (even counting in business and financial news).
Although tablets and smartphones have arrived on the scene fairly recently, Ipsos study shows around a third of the global business elite get their business news via smartphone, and about 16% via tablets. (Ipsos Mori, August 2011)
31% of the adult population in the UK now owns a smartphone, showing an increase from 13% in January 2010, according to the results of the first quarter of 2011 Ipsos MediaCT Technology Tracker. This is highest amongst males and females under 35 as levels of ownership are now at 48% and 40% respectively.
With 14% of the adult population now owning an iPhone, ownership has doubled in the past year.
A key player within the smartphone industry is Blackberry. Current levels of ownership stand at 9% amongst the adult population. This appears to be most popular amongst females aged under 35 years at 13% in comparison to the males at 11%. Popularity amongst this group could be due to users favouring the usage of the Blackberry instant messaging service or BBM as it is known.
Smartphone Ownership GB Adults in January 2010 vs. January 2011 - any smartphone:
- All: 13% in January 2010 / 31% in January 2011
- Male<35: 23% / 48%
- Male 35+: 14% / 28%
- Female <35: 14% / 40%
- Female 35+: 8% / 21%
Smartphone Ownership GB Adults in January 2010 vs. January 2011 - iPhone:
- All: 7% in January 2010 / 14% in January 2011
- Male<35: 12% / 23%
- Male 35+: 6% / 13%
- Female <35: 7% / 17%
- Female 35+: 5% / 10%
Smartphone Ownership GB Adults in January 2011 - BlackBerry:
- All: 9%
- Male<35: 11%
- Male 35+: 9%
- Female <35: 13%
- Female 35+: 7%
(Ipsos MORI, May 2011)
50% of smartphone owners have now completed some sort of purchase on their mobile, increasing by 20% over just nine short months, with 11% of smartphone shoppers now using the device to make a purchase on a weekly basis, according to a study from eDigitalResearch and Portaltech.
The study also shows that smartphone owners are increasingly using their phones to shop, browse and research for products via their phones. Over one quarter (28%) of users now use their smartphone to find product information on a regular basis and remains one of the most popular shopping activities to complete on a phone.
The study looked at the increasing role of mobile in retail commerce and surveyed both Smartphone and non-Smartphone users. The results clearly show the continuing shift in consumer behaviour as more and more shoppers are adapting to new technologies, browsing, shopping and interacting with brands on the move. The results clearly indicate the growing trend that smartphones are being used more and more as an essential lifestyle accessory, with almost a 15% rise in the number of consumers interacting with mobile applications on a daily basis.
The results also show that consumers expectations of mobile websites have dramatically increased since the first research results last year; 31% of users now say that quick browsing should be an essential feature of mobile websites, compared with just 20% who said the same last June. Other significant factors that people see as essential include security, fast loading images, zoom functions and a professional looking site, reaffirming that consumers expect to find the same coherent retail message across channels.
Smartphone users who said that they never shopped online reduced from 70% last June to 49%, echoing the overall trend of growing consumer acceptance of mCommerce. Similarly, Smartphone owners who said that they expected to browse and purchase more on their phones in the next 12 months more than doubled from 20% to 46% and firmly establishes the importance for retailers to continue to develop and invest in mobile.
In the last year, mobile has gathered pace with retailers reporting traffic of between 2-12% via the mobile channel and Morgan & Stanley predict that by 2014, sales via a mobile device will overtake sales from a PC, according to Andrew Walker, CEO of Portaltech. (eDigitalResearch, May 2011)
Data usage on smartphone devices in the UK has soared by more than 75% in the first quarter of 2011, according to research by Three reported in an article in the free daily newspaper METRO.
Of all the cities in METRO's circulation, usage grew the most in Birmingham, in which 102% more data is being consumed every week. London had an 87% rise, while people in Edinburgh are now using 72% more data, according to the research.
The network says mobile broadband use on computers and tablets, such as the iPad, is also on the rise.
Three has indicated that this year, they expect more than 90% of customers to choose a smartphone when they get a new contract or upgrade. (METRO.co.uk, April 2011)
London Underground has teamed up with BT Openzone in a six-month trial of wifi at Charing Cross tube station. The trial will include live Transport for London (TfL) service updates available to all. O2, Tesco Mobile, Vodafone and Orange users can also use the BT Openzone network. (telecoms.com, November 2010)
The number of smartphone owners in the EU-5 (UK, France, Germany, Spain and Italy) grew 41% between 2009 and 2010, to 60.8 million subscribers, according to a June 2010 report from comScore.
About 15 million of those users were in the UK, where smartphone ownership leaped 70% between 2009 and 2010, according to the Internet Advertising Bureau UK (IAB UK). Further, the IAB calculated that mobile access accounted for about a quarter of time spent online by UK web users in mid-2010.
Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) also showed healthy gains in mobile web usage in 2010. Overall, 31% of UK web users ages 16 and older polled by ONS said they went online via mobile. Men were more likely to access the internet wirelessly, with 37% of males saying they used their mobile phone to go online, compared to 25% of females.
Google and Facebook remain the most popular mobile websites among UK users, according to comScore's MobiLens.
The July 2010 study also found that 31% of UK consumers would be more likely to respond to ads in any medium if they could do so via mobile. Texting a keyword to a short code was the preferred response method. But visiting a mobile site or calling a phone number were also popular options. (eMarketer, September 2010)
Mobile apps and m-commerce sites are becoming more popular with UK consumers than conventional home shopping catalogues to browse and buy retail products, according to a new research study from leading market research specialists eDigitalResearch, and eBusiness consultancy Portaltech.
According to the study, which assessed the views and opinions of both smartphone users and regular phone users, 25% of all consumers had used their mobile to research information and purchase products from mobile sites in the last week, compared to just 16% who had used traditional mail order catalogues. The extensive research also found that nearly a third of those smartphone owners surveyed already use their phone to explore and analyse goods and services, whilst 20% had continued on to make an actual purchase with their mobile.
The research indicates a fundamental shift in the way that consumers are now integrating with technology and organisations in their everyday lives, taking advantage of the 24/7 access owning a smart phone affords them. Over half of smartphone users that responded had compared products and prices in store, or made a purchase using their mobile whilst out shopping on the high street.
The popularity of smartphones and m-commerce looks set to increase in the future with a third of non smartphone users stating that they expect to acquire one in the coming 12 months. 93% of those who have already taken the step and completed a purchase stated they had a positive experience.
Consumers are most likely to purchase entertainment products, including CD's, books, and DVD'S, as well as clothing and digital downloads. When asked which factors were most influential when deciding whether to buy through an app or mobile site, most stated that security concerns, delivery timescales and options, and the sites speed of loading would often influence their decision.
Consumers would most like to see special offers, vouchers and sales information provided on mobile sites and apps. (prweb.com, August 2020)
According to Ovum and Verdict Research 28% of the UK adult population had internet access on their mobile in 2009 but just 2.1% used this access to shop online. Verdict estimates that in 2009, internet shopping sales via mobiles was worth just £122.9m, 0.6% of total £21.2bn online retail spending. At present, rather than shop, it is clear that consumers are using their mobiles to enhance the shopping experience by comparing prices, researching products and interacting with retailers. Indeed, the findings of Verdict's consumer research reveal that 11.5% of all UK shoppers are using their mobiles to research before shopping, while 3.8% use them to research, engage and interact with retailers while out shopping.
By 2013, internet sales via mobiles are predicted to have doubled to £275 million, driven by a 119% rise in the m-commerce population, improvements in mobile technology, better interoperability and greater take-up of smartphones and Android devices. Verdict and Ovum believe that though m-commerce will still not have become a significant channel by 2013, its effectiveness as a marketing tool and way of interacting with customers will have increased substantially, providing a massive boost to sales growth across all channels. (Datamonitor, June 2010)
London mayor Boris Johnson has given his support to plans to install Wi-Fi hotspots and mobile phone base stations in London Underground stations. In his address to the annual State of London debate, Johnson said he was willing to consider any ideas that would help London become one of the most technologically advanced cities in the world, as long as they are financially viable.
But efforts to make progress since then have stalled, mainly because of costs. A six-month trial of on-platform web and phone services was due to commence in 2008, but a suitable partner could not be found.
Johnson has made no secret of his desire to give all of London wireless internet access, and last month told a Google conference that he had approached Europe's largest broadband provider The Cloud, which already covers the City of London, to extend the coverage across the capital in time for the 2012 Olympics. Plans would include installing wireless hotspots in street lights and bus stops.
As recently as last year, mobile access on the tube was mooted, as part of the Digital Britain report. (ITPro, June 2010)
The Cloud has come in as the front runner to provide blanket Wi-Fi coverage of London in time for the Olympic Games in 2012. The company, which is the largest provider of Wi-Fi across Europe, has been asked by London Mayor Boris Johnson to draw up plans of how to get the Olympic site at Stratford connected, according to the Financial Times.
It will not be the only provider involved however. A statement from The Cloud's chief executive, Steve Nicholson, claimed other mobile operators (such as O2, Vodafone and Virgin Mobile) have been included in a series of meetings to work out the logistics of getting the site fit for connectivity purposes. (ITPRO FIT FOR BUSINESS, May 2010)
Consumers are increasingly media multi-tasking with more than 8 out of 10 mobile media users (84%) simultaneously interacting with their TVs or PCs, according to a mobile focused research commissioned by Yahoo! among 2,004 UK mobile media users aged between 16 and 65.
The study conducted over the last five months showed that almost a quarter of respondents (22%) regularly use their mobiles, TVs and PCs to access content simultaneously, with 17% using PC and mobile at the same time, 29% using TV and mobile at the same time, and a massive 77% watching TV and using their PC simultaneously. The findings mean brands need to consider all platforms if their marketing campaigns are to drive consumer awareness and ward off negative consumer perception, according to Yahoo.
The findings also included a warning for brands that they must get their mobile offerings right, with many consumers opting to switch brands because of a bad brand experience.
The research showed that 1 in 10 mobile media users make mobile purchases, with this figure rising to 4 in 10 for iPhone users (including purchasing apps from the App Store). (eyefortravel, April 2010)
22% of all mobile consumers aged 15-50 in the UK regularly used their mobile to access the internet, according to a report published in February 2010 by Ipsos MediaCT, Moving Mobile Internet into the Mainstream.
The findings show that over half of all mobile consumers have still never used their mobile to access the web. For this group, functional barriers hold them back with nearly half stating that the internet is better on a PC/laptop, 36% state mobile web is too expensive and 20% that the screen size is too small. Importantly, the barriers are not that they do not want to access web content via a mobile. It is no longer apathy holding them back, which is a significant step forward.
Mobile internet usage is going through a transformation. The significant driver of this change has been the iPhone. At 7% ownership in the UK, the iPhone has opened up the market and together with the wider smartphone base, has shifted what consumers see as possible on a mobile, breaking down many lingering preconceptions about mobile internet.
Research from Ipsos MediaCT shows that 88% of iPhone owners regularly access mobile internet, sot hey are certainly much more active. iPhone users do, however, use a similar range of services on the fixed internet to typical mobile owners, suggesting the underlying motivations for using the web are similar.
The big difference is how iPhone owners are using the mobile internet. Their mobile web usage habits are now almost level with fixed internet usage, highlighting the extent to which the fixed experience has been transferred to the mobile for iPhone owners. IN the case of location based services (such as accessing maps or looking up places of interest) penetration of usage via the iPhone is beyond fixed levels. One of the few exceptions is shopping, remaining largely a fixed internet based experience - going forward, mobile commerce clearly offers a big growth opportunity on the iPhone.
Internet usage amongst iPhone owners, November 2009 (services accessed in the past 3 months) :
- Webmail: 76% (mobile web) / 81% (fixed web)
- Browse news: 75% (79%)
- Maps/Directions: 73% (68%)
- Facebook: 71% (77%)
- Download/listen music: 67% (67%)
- Location: 60% (46%)
- Travel info: 57% (62%)
- YouTube: 57% (68%)
- Twitter: 19% (28%)
- Shopping: 17% (71%)
- Catch-up TV: 15% (58%)
For the typical mobile owner, the web is still very much a fixed internet experience. The research from MediaCT showed that across a broad range of online activities the gap in current usage between fixed and mobile access is significant.
Interest in future usage uniformly rises across all activities when the three main functional barriers are removed (i.e. using handset with a large colour screen, fast mobile internet and web browsing is inclusive in the tariff). Interest increases to such an extent that it nearly mirrors today's iPhone user. The main activities on the fixed web (social networking, webmail, browsing news/entertainment sites and accessing music) all show the highest levels of interest for mobile web usage.
Internet usage amongst all mobile consumers:
- Facebook: 24% (mobile web) / 71% (fixed web)
- Webmail: 20% / 84%
- Download/listen music: 19% / 58%
- Browse news: 16% / 73%
- Maps/directions: 13% / 67%
- Location: 11% / 47%
- Travel info: 11% / 57%
- YouTube: 7% / 64%
- Twitter: 0% / 17%
- Shopping: 0% / 65%
- Catch-up TV: 0% / 55%
(IPSOS MORI, February 2010)
iPad and other tablets
Tablet users in the UK are more likely to shop online than smartphone owners
Tablet owners are more engaged with retail brands, making more purchases and website visits compared with smartphone users, according to the latest eCustomerServiceIndex (eCSI) results from eDigitalResearch and IMRG.
The results show that 30% of tablet users have used their device to shop online, whilst currently only 25% of smartphone owners have used their phone to do the same. Similarly, almost half (48%) of tablet owners have used their devices to research products in-store, whilst only 29% have done the same via their smartphone.
The results also reveal the eagerness of consumers to start using their mobile devices more for everyday tasks, including in-store purchases. Of the 6,000 consumers surveyed, over a quarter (27%) said that they will be willing to use contactless mobile payment when available to them, and almost half (47%) of these would be willing to pay for goods up to the value of £20, whilst an impressive 15% would be comfortable to spend £50 or over using contactless mobile payments. (eDigitalResearch, September 2011)
Last Updated on Wednesday, 01 February 2012 14:43
