UK Smartphone Society

ARE YOU A LOCAL BUSINESS?

Did you know that the UK is now a Smartphone Society?

Smartphones have overtaken laptops and desktops as the most popular device for getting online, Ofcom research has revealed, with record ownership and use transforming the way we communicate.

  • Smartphones overtake computers as UK internet users’ number one device
  • We’re spending two hours online on our smartphones every day; twice as long as laptops and PCs
  • Superfast 4G is helping change the way we shop, bank, watch TV and communicate

Two thirds of people now own a smartphone, using it for nearly two hours every day to browse the internet, access social media, bank and shop online.

Ofcom’s 2015 Communications Market Report, (short link below) published on 6 August 2016, finds that a third (33%) of internet users see their smartphone as the most important device for going online, compared to 30% who are still sticking with their laptop.

The rise in smartphone surfing marks a clear shift since 2014, when just 22% turned to their phone first, and 40% preferred their laptop.

Smartphones have become the hub of our daily lives and are now in the pockets of two thirds (66%) of UK adults, up from 39% in 2012. The vast majority (90%) of 16-24 year olds own one; but 55-64 year olds are also joining the smartphone revolution, with ownership in this age group more than doubling since 2012, from 19% to 50%.

The surge is being driven by the increasing take-up of 4G mobile broadband, providing faster online access. During 2014, 4G subscriptions have leapt from 2.7 million to 23.6 million by the end of 2014.

We now spend almost twice as long online with our smartphones than on laptops and personal computers. On average, mobile users spent nearly two hours online each day using a smartphone in March 2015 (1 hour and 54 minutes), compared to just over an hour spent online by laptop and PC users (1 hour and nine minutes).

Over a third of adults (34%) turn over and check their phones within five minutes of waking up. For young people, checking social media messages before breakfast is even more crucial – around half (49%) of young people aged 18-24 check their phones within five minutes of waking up.

Link courtesy of Ofcom: https://goo.gl/cgtGNc
Prepared for you by iMarkets Group: Marketing for Local Business