Smartphone Market Research

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The smartphone, a mobile phone with better connectivity and more sophisticated computing capability than ordinary mobile phones, entered the consumer market in the late 1990s, but only gained mainstream acceptance with the introduction of the Blackberry by RIM in 2006. Apple Inc. joined the smartphone market in 2007 with the first model of the iPhone, and Samsung followed in June 2008 with the Instinct.

In addition to the smartphone, the modern consumer has access to other devices, the most popular of which is the tablet computer, introduced in 2010. Consumers and business owners are using mobile devices in new ways every day around the world. This new technology has made it possible for everybody to connect and relate to what is happening at any given moment.

智慧型手機和行動裝置的興起

在美國，人們花在行動裝置上的時間遠遠多於花在桌上型電腦上的時間。推動人們在行動裝置上花費的時間增加的因素之一是僅限行動裝置的社交網絡，例如 Snapchat，它的受歡迎程度正在快速增長。推論很明確——如果公司不能提供足夠的行動體驗，或者如果他們無法透過行動顯示器或搜尋吸引受眾，那麼與提供這些體驗的企業相比，他們就會失敗。

Smartphones continue to increase, and their evolving use, along with that of other mobile devices, is resulting in new consumer expectations and behavior when it comes to the purchase of goods and services and the consumption of information. Retailers are adjusting to shopping research on tablets and smartphones and in-store mobile usage while organizing their websites to make the most of the mobile consumer and commerce experience.

智慧型手機和行動裝置在產品和服務產業的實際應用

智慧型手機和裝置使用者可以瀏覽互聯網，即使沒有 WiFi 也可以保持連線。他們還可以讓用戶與社交媒體保持聯繫，使他們能夠在白天或晚上的任何時間發布評論和圖片，無論他們身在何處。此外，它們還允許用戶聽音樂。它們可以讀取 mp3 文件，使其成為成功的便攜式音樂播放器。

People also reach for their smartphones and tablets when they want to book travel, watch videos, and access local information (such as the rating of that new restaurant, and its exact location). They also use their devices to perform Google searches and to read news and entertainment gossip. They prefer the smartphone for some activities, such as local searches, and the tablet for others, such as watching movies.

設計的重要性

The mobile web has grown astronomically with the increase in mobile devices. The number of people using their tablets and smartphones to search the web has long exceeded the number using their desktops for that same purpose. Businesses should, therefore, optimize their websites for all devices: tablet and smartphones users in search of a product or service (as in our earlier restaurant example) choose in only a few seconds whether or not to patronize an organization based on if their mobile website is easy to use – or not.

The swift growth in usage and importance of mobile devices is not just an American phenomenon. Mobile device usage has grown drastically worldwide. People spend most of their time using different apps on their mobile devices. Increased app use has led to some concerns, for example, entry barriers for new, regional products, as well as less need for text messaging, dulling the effect of SMS marketing.

How Market Research Can Be Useful

Mobile devices give people the freedom to roam everywhere, opening up new and exciting possibilities for business. Mobile market research is still an emerging trend and one that companies should adopt for several reasons, including the fact that it is convenient and straightforward, and it eliminates the middleman. Also, it is the best (and sometimes the only) way to reach participants.