While different countries have varying degrees of penetration, the smartphone is considered the most important device for retail research by almost a third of all retail shoppers, according to a new report conducted by xAD and Millward Brown, which examined shopping behaviors in five countries (the U.S., U.K., Germany, China and Japan).

Mobile messaging apps haven't quite taken over the world -- but they're getting there. By 2019, in fact, more than a quarter of the world's population will be using mobile messaging apps, per a new prediction from eMarketer.

The 100 most popular apps are hogging more and more of consumers' time, according to fresh findings from Opera Mediaworks. In first-quarter 2016, people spent an average of 30 minutes with top apps and 33.5 minutes in the second quarter; and have spent an average of 36.9 minutes in the third quarter so far.

Worldwide, smartphone profits reached $9.4 billion during the third quarter of the year, according to fresh findings from Strategy Analytics. Remarkably, Apple captured a record 91% share of those profits, or about $8.6 billion.

More people are consuming branded content on their mobile devices, according to new data from Polar, which found that in the third quarter, click-through rates on mobile outperformed desktop by 2x.

Purchases from mobile phones on retail sites nearly equaled desktop with an average value of $125 versus $152, respectively, according to data released this week.

U.S. Millennials shop in person because of a sense of immediacy, the ability to touch the product, and to see if it fits, based on a new global study. The majority (66%) of Millennials overall shop in a store rather than online in order to get the product right away and 66% because they are able to see, touch and try the merchandise.

The figures have been reappraised. 2016 was the year of mobile, or at least "mobile-first" -- and early next year we will be digital-first as new channels overtake their traditional rivals for media attention.

For every 10 apps that users install on their phones, more than three are ultimately uninstalled, new research finds. How do developers avoid finding themselves on the wrong end of that statistic?