How often do you use your smartphone? And would you turn to your phone instead of facing ´down-time´?
Well, according to results I came across by research company Firefish, an average British consumer uses an Internet-connected device a whopping 34 times per day. UK consumers are so fond of being online that more than half of respondents would turn to their smartphones rather than relax with their thoughts, figures from the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) showed.
The research utilised FishEye cameras, which respondents had to wear over a period of three days. The cameras take a picture every five seconds to offer an accurate snapshot of people´s Internet habits. Overall, the average daily use of laptops, tablet or smartphones came in at two hours and 12 minutes. Seems that Britons are good at multi-tasking, as close to half of that time was spent on at least two devices at the same time, Firefish found.
Users aged between 18 and 30 proved to be more attached to their devices that older users, with more than half of them hailing their smartphones as a “lifesaver.” Close to two in three younger consumers said they would rather check their smartphone than just sit quietly. Around 52% of users under the age of 30 checked their phone during conversations with friends, and 70% of them used their smartphones to deal with everyday tasks.
Meanwhile, the study also showed that smartphones are now playing a much more important role in the shopping experience that they used to. Overall, one in six consumers relied on their device at some stage of the purchasing journey – whether it was browsing, price comparing or buying. Moreover, 41% said that thanks to their smartphones, shopping has become a pastime and they like to shop online when bored.
What do you predominantly use your smartphone for?
By Ben Hollom