Doug Morton, Owner of Denver Social Media Guru, LLC, has been very busy working with and educating local small business owners on the value of having their online social and mobile presence ready for the coming smartphone explosion. “These days more people than ever are searching the internet for local business services using their smartphones and tablets instead of home computers,” Morton says. $20 Android phones are coming out by the end of this summer and with the proliferation of cheap tablets the small device market will more than double over the next few years or so.
The technology of smartphones is now allowing users to do many of the same tasks that just a few years ago could only be done on a computer. This is not to suggest that smartphones will replace the computing power of a laptop or desktop computer. However, the average consumer isn’t interested in computing, but they are interested in browsing the net for information, shopping, being entertained with social media and videos, and sharing photos just to name a few common uses.
According to The U.S. Digital Report, Americans now own 4 digital devices on average and spend an unbelievable 60 hours a week consuming content across those devices with social media as a normal way of life for many hand held device users. If you’re walking through a busy store chances are you will see people looking at their phones. They’re not always just texting. In fact, up to 52% of them are actually using their phones in-store to research the product online that they went to the store to purchase.
“One important statistic that small businesses should be aware of is that 70% of mobile searches lead to action within an hour. Most people will do a little research on their home computer, but once they are out and about they are using their hand-held devices to make buying decisions,” Morton explains.
The majority of larger retailers are going to invest in mobile this year. Smaller local retailers are also updating their mobile and social presence as awareness catches on. “Right now I’m doing quite a bit of public speaking and presentations for local businesses to make sure they are kept up to speed on what’s going on with mobile and the opportunities presented with the flood of new smartphone users that are coming,” Morton adds.
While it is unlikely that the home computer will fade away any time soon, it is clear that the smartphone market and its applications will continue to grow with predictions that another billion plus inexpensive smartphone will be purchased over the coming five years.
If you want to find out more about Doug Morton, you can visit him at: http://www.DenverSocialMediaGuru.com.