Lack of mobile-ready sites hampers e-commerce yet three quarters of people watch video via smartphones – study finds
Three quarters of consumers now watch online videos on a smartphone, according to fresh figures, but a lack of mobile enabled websites and security fears are hampering the growth of purchases via smartphone.
Study: Online video tech is popular but e-commerce still struggles
The figures from IDG Global Solutions showed that while security concerns and functionality were still posing problems for e-commerce, the popularity of mobile devices has continued to rise significantly. While three quarters now watch video on smartphones compared to 61 per cent in 2012, half of respondents said they now use a tablet to read newspapers.
In addition, 40 per cent of respondents said they’d replaced either their desktop or laptop with a tablet device.
Christina Carstensen of IDG Global Solutions said: “The ‘mobile evolution’ is having a profound effect on consumers and businesses.
“It has kick-started the ‘always-on’ culture, presenting brands with unprecedented opportunities to develop closer relationships with their customers. We have moved beyond media convergence to a convergence of technology and humans, and brands more than ever need to show their human side to communicate in a relevant, engaging and intuitive way.”
The study also highlighted that more than three-quarters of people used business services or products on their tablets during the evening, while tablet ownership in business has increased from 20 per cent in 2011 to 61 per cent in 2014.
Latin America returned the highest response for professionals now using tablet devices to buy IT products for their business at 59 per cent.
On the use of multiple devices, the survey found that 61 per cent of respondents use another device at the same time as their tablet while 58 per cent use another device at the same time as their smartphone.
The study, the fifth annual global mobile report from IDG, surveyed 23,500 executives and consumers across 43 countries.