Commentary

When Technology Calls

What’s the first thing you do in the morning? OK, just after that first call of nature?

Rather than check emails, more Americans now go straight to their smartphones to check their messages in the morning, according to Deloitte’s “2015 Global Mobile Consumer Survey.”

Here's how the stats shake out:

Even before a good stretch or trip to the loo, nearly one in five people (17%) say they check their phones “immediately” upon waking.

Meanwhile, nearly half (43%) report checking their phones within five minutes of their first conscious thoughts of the day.

When it comes to bedtime, 13% of smartphone users look at their phone immediately before preparing to sleep, while 33% check their phones within five minutes before going to sleep.

During the day, about half (48%) of consumers now reporting checking their phones up to 25 times per day. About 4% currently quality as power users -- or those who check their phones more than 200 times a day.

Increasingly, it seems, the impulse to check our phones appears to come from between our ears: More than a third of all consumers  report checking their smartphones mostly without being prompted by an incoming message or alert.

In the spirit of the holidays, Deloitte also wanted to know how mobile is affecting people’s shopping habits.

Perhaps most notably, a clear majority of people (61%) say that they sometimes, if not regularly, use their smartphone while out shopping. 

Moreover, the use of mobile devices to make in-store payments has nearly quadrupled over the last year, with an increase from 5% in 2014 to 18%, today.

The most common uses of mobile payments are now public parking (19%), gas station purchases (18%), and coffee shops and fast-food dining (17% each).

Next story loading loading..