Mobile devices account for more than 60 percent of all digital minutes in all 9 markets profiled in comScore's report: Mobile’s Hierarchy of Needs.
The report published in March 2017 traces the global evolution of smartphones and tablets to become the primary digital tool, revealing specific behaviors for which these platforms have become important to consumers’ daily lives. The report uses mobile and multi-platform data from 9 international markets: USA, Canada, UK, Spain, Italy, Brazil, Mexico, China and Indonesia.
The report states: "The concept of 'mobile first' is no longer exclusive to technology-focused businesses and consumers, and is the default position for a growing number of internet users, who now spend the majority of their digital time on smartphones and tablets."
Other key insights revealed in the report include:
■ Apps dominate time spent on smartphone and tablet devices, representing more than 80% of mobile minutes in all markets studied.
■ The share of consumers abandoning desktop altogether varies dramatically by geography – from just 7% in the UK, to 70% in Indonesia. Mobile only audiences comprise users from all age demographics surprisingly evenly.
■ Social Media behaviors have shifted towards content. In Spain, sharing of links to websites grew 11% in 2016, compared to a -3% fall in posting personal statuses.
■ Mobile convenience has meant that audiences for high-value categories such as banking and travel have overcome security concerns to overtake desktop in many markets.
■ Top apps are dominated by large international players, but regional differences have an impact. Messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, WeChat, QQ Instant Messenger and Line account for nearly 1 in 7 minutes for some non-US markets, and led to a decline in standard SMS messaging.
