Consumers Consider Phones Primary Mobile Device

tabletTablet or smartphone? Representing very different modes of mobile engagement, marketers are eager to know which gadget will win out among consumers.
 
According to new research, the vast majority (77%) of consumers who own both smartphones and tablets still consider phones to be their primary device.  
 
However, tablets -- with their larger screens and superior viewing experiences -- appear to be making strong headway. In fact, the share of consumers who prize their tablets over their phones rose from 12% in 2012 to 23%, this year, according to new data from Adobe.
 
For its findings, Adobe paid Survey Sampling International to survey more than 3,000 mobile users in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France and Germany, in March of this year.

There is no doubt that consumers use tablets and smartphones differently. According to a recent Adobe Digital Index analysis of Web site visit activity, mobile users on average viewed 70% more pages per visit when browsing with a tablet compared to a smartphone.
 
When it comes to tablet usage, as expected, users are more likely to be home-based (80%) compared to just 14% who use tablets on the go and 6.5% who admit to using tablets at work. Wherever they are, consumers devote a significant amount of time to their tablets, with 26% using them daily between 1-to-4 hours, and 7% reporting more than 5 hours per day of usage. Tablet users continue to be the more valuable mobile consumer segment when it comes to Web site visits.
 
Indeed, 71% of iPad users (62% in 2012) and 65% of Android tablet users (56% in 2012) reported spending more than $250 on consumer products via their devices over the past 12 months -- compared to 59% of iPhone users (58% in 2012), and 53% (53% in 2012) of Android smartphone users.
 
Overall, the spending reported by smartphone users was relatively flat compared to 2012, but spending at the upper levels by tablet users has jumped, Adobe’s research found.
 
According to survey respondents, 9% more tablet users (iOS and Android) reported spending over $250 in the past 12 month compared to those who reported spending at that level in 2012.
 
Notably, respondents appeared to rate their experiences on apps and mobile Web sites equally at a 60% average satisfaction rate.
 
However, when asked which method they would prefer to use for shopping, most consumer respondents preferred Web sites to apps. A full 58% reported preferring mobile-optimized or regular sites, while 42% preferred applications.
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