More and more of us are “going mobile”

By Scott Stein, VP of Client Services, Leonard & Finco Public Relations

When I was a kid growing up in Eastern Wisconsin, I remember Friday night being grocery shopping night. The main reason was Friday was the only day that the grocery store stayed open past 5 p.m. Most businesses, grocery stores and department stores among them, were only open during the day and maybe until 9 p.m. a night or two per week.

My how the world has changed since then.

Today, it’s easy to find stores that are open well into the night and even 24 hours a day. And quite frankly, we don’t even have to go to the stores to shop. Many of us have been shopping from home using our desktop computers for years. But even that is becoming a thing of the past with more and more people going mobile to do their business on the Internet from anywhere – as long as you can get a signal on your phone.  

A recent Forbes.com article noted that Microsoft Tag predicted a few years ago that mobile Internet use would surpass desktop Internet use by 2014. While we’re probably not quite to that point, it’s clear that more people than ever are going mobile. The latest statistics show that 63 percent of cell phone owners say they use their devices to go online, while 21 percent say they primarily use their cell phones for Internet access. 

The Forbes.com piece says the trend toward mobile Internet usage should have businesses thinking about some key issues like BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policies for employees and employees being constantly connected.

When it comes to mobile-based marketing, the Forbes.com article points out that mobile users are more likely to ask a question into their mobile device than to type in keywords. The advice is to take a step back and ask which questions a consumer would ask that would lead them to their website. It’s more important than ever to be sure that contact information, directions and other frequently asked questions are addressed clearly and accurately.

What do you think of the trend toward mobile Internet use? Are you spending more time online on your smartphone? Is your business looking at ways to connect with mobile users?