Survey: Smartphones transcend age

When it comes to a primary device, consumers of all ages make the same choice by a clear margin.



According to a new survey of 4,000 consumers from Adobe, 92% of millennials consider the smartphone as their primary device.



Tablets, however, show opposite age trends. While 72% of all consumers say they own tablets, baby boomers and 70 and over report higher usage. 87% of respondents use tablets at home, with 66% using it every day. Top activities include reading emails (72%), playing games (60%), sending emails (60%) and shopping (55%)



Respondents are mostly split in terms of mobile OS (about 52% own Android smartphones and 48% own Apple iPhones)



Smartphone apps may not be as popular as assumed, however. Consumers downloaded a relatively low number of new apps in the past three months. 31% report three to five; as high as 21% report none at all. Apps only have a half-life of about five to six months. Retail apps for instance, are only used 13.5 times on average before they are abandoned.



Sixteen percent of consumers said they would use location-based services that combine their mobile device with physical shopping often, and 51% would do so sometimes.



Other findings include:



• Satisfaction is below 50% for both app and mobile web experiences (on apps, 45% report satisfaction, compared to 47% for Web).



• Eighty-three percent of consumers say mobile wallet is easier to use than credit cards. Forty-five percent have used mobile wallet to purchase clothing/shoes/jewelry, 44% for grocery/health/beauty and 41% for movies/music/games.



• Thirty-seven percent of consumers have used wearables to research goods and services. Another 23% say that they plan to do so.



• When shoppers are ready to purchase a product, 57% prefer using apps, while 43% still prefer mobile web.



• Seventy-one percent of heavy mobile users rank convenience as the most important aspect of a retail mobile experience.