Marketing Forecast from Ad-ology

Smartphones and other Internet-connected mobile devices are opening whole new worlds to consumers. But these devices don’t always function as smoothly as advertised. The complex technology and array of offered services can be confusing for consumers which means telephone companies might soon be upping their service game to give themselves a competitive edge.

eMarketer estimates that by the end of 2011, 33.7 million Americans will use a tablet device at least monthly—a rise of 158.6% over 2010, the year the iPad was released. Analysts predict the number of users will rise to nearly 90 million, or 35.6% of all internet users, by 2014. The iPad, which has clearly led the tablet market since 2010, will continue to do so throughout the forecast period, though its share will be slowly chipped away by competitors, such as Amazon’s new Kindle Fire.

The typical purchasing agent in a business setting likely has little extra time to consume content about the latest technology. But as more content has become available in a variety of new formats, decision makers and influencers are noticing. A successful technology company marketing in this environment must make collateral available in several new formats to ensure that its products are getting the necessary visibility that will lead to a sale.

According to a new study by The NPD Group, the population growth of kids ages 2-17 increased 1.54% in the U.S., while the gaming population of that age group has grown 12.68%. Today, 91% of kids (approximately 64 million) ages 2-17 are gaming in the U.S. “Year-to-date through August 2011, kids comprised 44% of new physical software dollar sales, representing a vitally important consumer segment for the games industry,” said Anita Frazier, industry analyst, The NPD Group.

Ad-ology Research recently updated their Industry Marketing Insights report for Communications Services Providers. The following are the predicted Top 3 Opportunities/Challenges from the report for this industry for the upcoming 12 months:

Recent findings from a survey of U.S. smartphone and tablet owners indicate that tablet ownership increases the frequency of mobile shopping, improves the purchase experience, and makes consumers who own both devices use their smartphone more often. The study revealed that tablet ownership increases mobile purchase frequency, with owners of tablets (as well as smartphones) buying nearly twice as often as those who only have smartphones. Nearly two-thirds of dual owners indicated higher overall spending due to their mobile purchasing activity.