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Research Reveals That Tablets Are Used More Like PCs Than Like Smartphones

Source: https://intelligence.businessinsider.com/welcome

The Internet Advertising Bureau and ABI Research recently released a presentation about mobile activities and advertising. The data is the result of a survey of over 550 U.S. smartphone and tablet owners, which is not totally comprehensive but gives a pretty good window into consumer mobile behavior.

The biggest takeaway: tablets are much more like small personal computers than smartphones are. People use their tablets much more frequently at home, are more receptive to ads, and are more likely to buy big ticket items from them.

Here are some important insights from the report.

People with smartphones are connected to each other and the world all the time. Smartphone users frequently send email, view social networking sites, and surf the web even while they’re performing other tasks.

Rates of “companion TV activity” are high for both smartphones (almost 50%) and tablets (over 60%), confirming that they are being used as second (or third) screens. This could pave the way for interesting advertising and promotional scenarios.

Devices are used as a fun distraction at home. Gaming was one of the most popular activities on smartphones and tablets while users are engaged in “other home leisure activities.” 

 

A slight majority of mobile device owners read the mobile editions of newspapers and magazines, but there are a surprisingly high numbers that still stick with print:

Tablet use is more concentrated in the home, where users are probably more likely to watch videos, read, or shop. Less than half of tablet users employ their devices outside the home.

Tablets are a far more desirable advertising platform than smartphones. A little under half of smartphone owners have never even come across an ad in the past 3 months, and tablet owners are more likely to encounter them on a frequent basis.

Tablet owners are much more likely to react to the ads they do see. For instance, tablet owners are more than twice as likely to make a purchase after seeing an ad than smartphone owners. 

 

Tablet owners spend more money on their devices too. Tablets owners are about twice as likely to spend anything at all and 50 percent more spent in excess of $20 a week than smartphone owners. 

Download the Excel spreadheet used to make the charts here→

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