• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, November 12, 2002

Europeans Use Short Messaging Service VS eMail

More Europeans use short messaging service (SMS) than email, according to new research from Gartner G2. GartnerG2 claims that SMS has therefore become a powerful marketing tool, which can be more important than the web for a range of activities.

Around 62 percent of all adults across the major European countries now use a mobile phone, according to the research. Currently, 41 percent of European adults use SMS, compared to 30 percent that use the Internet/email.

Last year, 28 percent of European adults used SMS, as opposed to 29 percent who went online. SMS is particularly popular in the UK where 49 percent of adults use it, compared to 39 percent who are online.

In Germany, 43 percent of adults use SMS as opposed to 29 percent of adults who use the Internet/email. In France, 30 percent use SMS compared to 25 percent who go online. Gartner suggests that SMS can be more important than the Web for a range of activities, especially marketing.

Garter claims that the vast majority of consumers don’t know what their phones are capable of today, let alone what 3G is and why they should have it, and that consumers will not automatically upgrade to 3G phones arriving on the market next year.

Adam Daum, VP and Chief Analyst at GartnerG2, said "Today, the gap between where the industry wants to go and where it is today is too big. Having a vision for the future is different to having a strategy for how to get there."

You can find out more here.