Trendwatch: Smartphones Help Search On Mobile Highways
Similar to the way Starbucks made gourmet coffee available to the masses, the explosion of Smartphone devices has taken search to something consumers do not just enjoy at work or at home, but anytime and anywhere they please. The capability of browsing the Internet is now available wherever a smartphone user has service. From finding customer reviews to specific applications that enhance travel or shopping experiences, search functionality is fueling the consumption of mobile marketing.
In fact, the flood of helpful applications is one of the components in the staggering increase in mobile search. Many recent studies, including one just released by Compete (Kantar Media company), display a significant boom in the use of local search, social networking and gaming on smartphones. The quarterly Smartphone Intelligence survey provides behavioral and survey-based insights into how consumers are using iPhones, BlackBerrys, Android devices and other smartphones.
This information comes on the heels of the 90% increase in mobile searches reported by comScore from April data. Compete’s study provides deeper insight, divulging how consumers are enjoying better Smartphone experiences to search for local businesses.
Among other findings the study revealed consumers increasingly rely on their mobile phones to search for retailers. Nearly one in three smartphone owners has called or visitied a local business after finding it using a local search application. In Q1 2010 alone, close to one-third of Android and iPhone owners discovered at least two new businesses that they were not previously aware of as a result of using local search applications.
“With the increasing popularity of local search, retailers should ensure their sites are optimized for mobile browsers,” states Danielle Nohe, Director, Technology and entertainment for Compete. “Making it easy for consumers to discover businesses via their devices opens local companies up to a whole new customer demographic, and savvy businesses should make sure they’re maximizing this opportunity.”
Just like it has been for years on desktops and laptops, Google is the leading search engine on mobile devices. Remarkably, the search giant has an even stronger statistical dominance with some reports finding more than 95% of all mobile searches happening via Google. Granted, being the default search engine on the iPhone and building the main competitor to Apple’s smartphone does provide an unprecedented edge. And we all should have known the mighty Google would be at the forefront of this financial windfall after what eMarketer revealed about the mobile search game in 2007: “Competition for the US mobile search market promises to be fierce, thanks to the large US online ad market and strong pushes by portals. By 2011, mobile search will account for around $715 million, or almost 15% of a total mobile advertising market worth nearly $4.7 billion.”
This insightful nugget into an emerging financial boon, fuels the current Internet versus telecom industry gold rush for control of the consumer mobile search business. From what I understand, in this complex quest each side harbors significant advantages and limitations. The only truth that can be uncovered is nobody really knows which side will win. Fortunately for most of us, it really does not matter. We’ll just reap the rewards of better capabilities and functionalities.
So the takeaway here is pretty straightforward. Make sure your search presence extends well into the mobile scene. The search is on and the stakes are high. If consumers do not find you, they are likely to find your competitor.
