Consumer Behavior - Key Metrics By Device

"The very best marketing comes from observing consumer behavior and inserting your message into their behavior."

Whether you operate a YMCA or other business, mobile is here to stay.  What is not certain is whether or not the desktop will be here in any measurable way in five years.  Mobile marketing will dominate website access because consumers are in control. Simply put, consumers are buying mobile devices, not PCs.

PC sales peaked in 2011 at 350 million units worldwide after 29 years of sales (since 1983). Seven years after launch, smartphones and tablets have sold more than 1.2 billion units.

On June 29th, 2007 the iPhone was introduced to the world. Today one third of all high school students have an iPhone.  

eMarketer has just published their Chart of the Week showing Key Metrics by Device for the 4th quarter of 2014. 

Based on the 2014 holiday selling system, it confirms what we already suspected.  

Mobile devices now account for 44.3% of all web traffic, but 75% of revenue still comes from desktop devices.  There is something comfortable about the desktop when it comes to placing an online order.

But the tablet is rapidly becoming a device of choice. Average time of site for a tablet (a sign of engagement) is 4:34 versus 4:38 for the desktop. The average pages per visit gap is also tightening up - 8.3 pages for the desktop, versus 7.3 for the tablet.  And the bounce rate for desktops is 33% versus 37% for the tablet.

Is it possible that consumers are doing the research on a tablet and then placing the order on the desktop?  Maybe not.  The average order value on a desktop is $133.17 and $131.07 for the tablet.  

I suspect that by the fourth quarter of 2015, the tablet may be clear winner, especially since tablet and "phablets" continue to outsell the traditional desktops.

Smartphones generate twice the traffic of tablets, but slightly less revenue than the tablet.  This supports the notion that consumers are using smartphones as research devices while visiting stores and shops. This is another trend that will change as the consumer feels more secure about retail transactions on mobile devices.  

The lesson to be learned?  Mobile commerce is here. You have no choice - your website must be mobile friendly and increasingly this means responsive web design.

Or your business will be left behind.  "Mutability is life's sole constant."