eCommerce and the Increase in Mobile Phone Usage

Mobile phone usage has gone up more than you may have expected. As much as 89% of mobile phone consumers in the US alone look at their phone within an hour of waking up, and 81% look at their phones an hour before going to sleep. They also collectively look at their phones 12 billion times a day.

mobile phones

As such, many are quick to assume that teenagers and young adults are the driving force behind such strong usage of mobile devices, but that isn’t necessarily the case. The technological habits that were traditionally associated with those age groups are quickly becoming the habits of older users, and at similar rates as well. Some may say that this is in an effort them to relate, and better connect with younger generations that rely on their mobile devices for communication across multiple applications. While that is true, there is more to it. Mobile devices are also becoming a part of daily life in a wireless Internet-connected society.

Mobile phones are increasingly being used in conjunction with other connected devices, such as game consoles, wireless TVs, connected vehicles, monitoring fitness, and with the power of AI- eCommerce purchases. The use of mobile devices for online purchases has become so popular, it’s same to say that mobile commerce, also known as mCommerce, is the new eCommerce. This is excellent for online retailers and publishers, because interestingly enough, shoppers who make their purchases on mobile devices typically spend twice as much as shoppers who take the traditional route in shopping.

AI and machine learning technologies are behind many of the most popular apps used on mobile devices. It’s the magic behind driving route suggestions, predictive text, and voice assistants. In the case of eCommerce, chatbots that combine AI and machine learning can serve as a personal shopping assistant for online shoppers that are looking to quickly shop for looks that they spotted online using visual search capabilities. Not only is this a convenience for shoppers, but it’s excellent for brands as well, because it helps keep their customers engaged and on their site.

It will be fascinating to see how the use of smartphones continues to mature and benefit users and companies alike. There are many exciting technologies that are on the horizon, which will continue to make the most of technologies such as AI, machine learning, and more. In turn, the increased dependance on the devices will bring about new consumer demands, which will spark further shifts across multiple industries.