ACCENTURE STUDY: MAJORITY OF US CONSUMERS NEVER USE HIGHER-END MOBILE APPLICATIONS

An Accenture mobile usage study indicates that despite rapid consumption of mobile devices in the US, the usage of higher-end applications remains low. As high as 88% of 5,047 adult respondents reported they never use their mobile phones or other mobile devices to watch videos. Moreover, 84% never use mobile devices to send email and 79% said they never employ them to play games. The survey was divided into three age groups 18 to 34, 35 to 54, and 55 and older. It was found that 18-24 year olds were more than 10 times as likely as those over 55 to use social networking sites (73% versus 7%) and seven times as likely as those 55 and olders to write blogs or contribute to online sites (35% versus 5%) using the phone.

US mobile consumers:
Never watch videos on mobile phones	88%
Never send emails using mobile phones	84%
Never play games on mobile phones	79%

source: Accenture, n = 5,047

“These survey results point to important missed business opportunities in the mobile handset and social networking arenas,” said Kumu Puri, a senior executive with Accenture’s Electronics & High Tech practice. “Clearly, many consumers are not widely embracing higher end cell phone applications. And the vast majority of older Americans, in particular, are not inspired by the social networking phenomenon. To capitalize on these market realities, consumer technology companies need to customize their ease of use and design differentiation for the different age groups. This begins with envisioning a specific consumer’s experience and delivering that through hardware, software, and services that are more compelling and enjoyable.” -Smarajit Dasgupta