Grabbing the spotlight
A recent Global TNS study suggested that the country is now the highest ranked Western country when it comes to using social networks on mobile. With mobile media consumption on the rise, maybe Britons can be best followed on Facebook or Twitter, than anywhere else.
According to the TNS Mobile Life report, over 11 million people are found logging in while on the go and about 5.5 million access social networks everyday from their mobile phones. This accounts to nearly 16% of the population. Interestingly, the report also noted that about 8 million of them who are not yet social networking on their mobile are now interested in doing so.
While social networking experienced the strongest growth in mobile app access, UK was also noted as top app downloader in the Europe, as the activity accounted to 31% of their total mobile downloads. They also downloaded social video (29%) and games (26%). The report said that about 36% of British consumers cite content and applications as "important" in their choice of mobile device, up from 33% in 2010.
Stephen Yap, Group Director at TNS Technology commented: "TNS Mobile Life 2011 reveals how mobile technology is transforming the lives of Britons at an unprecedented pace. With social networking emerging as a killer application, mobile content and applications have never been more important. Handset makers and operators take note: it's no longer just about the device or the network, but rather what people are doing and downloading."
The survey found that mobile design is increasingly becoming as a key purchase priority among Brits. Compared to last year's 41%, the report revealed that about 45% of them consider ‘form factor' as an important factor. In comparison, only 33% of consumers say that the choice of operator is an important purchase consideration.
Despite recent hype around iPad 2's launch, Brits' interest in tablets is significantly lower than the rest of Europe, with 17% of those in the UK interested in buying a tablet over the next six months, compared to 28% across Europe and 31% in Asia.
The research also revealed interesting insight into UK's purchasing behaviour. Britons are not the early adopters we thought they were, with almost half (49%) of Britons not intending to part with their pounds for the latest gadgets.
Yap continued: "Brits' comparative skepticism when it comes to tablets affirms the pragmatic relationship between people in this country and their technology. While consumers elsewhere have been wowed by the iPad, Brits maintain more of a "wait and see" mindset - no doubt underpinned by pressures on people's purses leading to increasing cutbacks on non-essential purchases."
Earlier, we reported that social media in fact overtook even online entertainment activity in the UK.
