Trending: Tablets in Today’s Mobile World

Hispanic Mobile Spending and Device Adoption

As one of the most mobile consumers in the United States, Hispanics display enormous mobile spending power.

According to the “2012 Hispanic Mobile Consumer Survey,” by Zpryme Research and Consulting, Hispanics are projected to spend $17.6 billion on mobile tech devices this year.¹

We are all marching toward the day when we will literally have our lives on one mobile device: a smartphone/tablet/laptop.

Samsung and AT&T have already made great strides toward this device as they have launched a marketing campaign for the new Galaxy Note Tablet/Smartphone earlier this year. The campaign advertises the Galaxy Note as “Smartphone? Tablet? It’s the best of both” (2012 Samsung Galaxy Note). Apple is currently planning to release a smaller iPad to compete with other tablet manufacturers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Inc. and Google.²

Since the iPad hit stores in April, 2010, tablets have settled in as the latest trend in the mobile world. To keep up, smartphones are getting bigger (and are being marketed as tablets). And Laptops, besides being made smaller and lighter, are getting cheaper.

Tablet competition has made huge impacts in the technology market. Before the iPad launched, netbooks stood alone as the inexpensive, conveniently mobile and Wi-Fi accessible devices. But since tablets came around, netbooks have become almost obsolete. Making computers smaller is not enough to keep consumers spending their technology dollars on laptops, so laptop manufacturers are reducing their prices in order to compete with the low prices of tablets.

Why Marketers Should Watch Hispanic Mobile Spending

A mobile investment is a gateway to the Internet and that means more spending. According to Zpryme, mobile ownership was already widespread among Hispanic consumers:

• Almost 70% owned laptops.
• More than half owned smartphones.
• Almost 20% owned tablets.

While the Hispanic population already stands as an extremely digitally savvy one, the study showed in the next six months, nearly a quarter of Hispanics will invest in a new smartphone, 21% in a new laptop and 18% in a tablet.

Hispanics, through several mobile devices, use the Internet to make purchases. Tablets only increase the spending opportunity; however, marketers will certainly miss Hispanics dollars if they neglect to release Internet campaigns and create apps for their products and brands in the applicable formats.

What Mobile Growth Means for Marketing Strategy

Until consumers have access to that all-in-one mobile device, smartphone, computer and tablet manufacturers will have to vie to get a cut of the mobile consumer spending share, and also use multiple marketing platforms in order to maximize market exposure.

Companies must invest in application development and application advertising to keep their brands relevant with target consumers. That same principle now fits within a broader convergent marketing strategy that connects device behavior, channel choice and consumer insight.

“The current technology climate is exciting,” said George L. San Jose, president and chief creative officer of San Jose Consulting. “Not only are Hispanics spending billions on mobile devices, but they are utilizing multiple devices for additional app and online purchases.”

What Marketers Can Learn from the Tablet Shift

The device mix has changed dramatically since 2012, but the strategic lesson remains useful: consumer behavior often changes before marketing plans do. When people adopt new devices or interfaces, brands need to reassess how content is discovered, viewed, compared and purchased rather than simply shrinking an existing desktop experience to fit a smaller screen.

San Jose Consulting’s Consumer Insights and Communications helps identify those behavior shifts, while Market Return on Investment helps determine where changing device and channel behavior creates the strongest growth opportunity.

Key Strategic Takeaways

• Device adoption can change how consumers research, compare and buy.
• Marketing experiences should be designed for actual usage behavior rather than device assumptions.
• Historical technology trends should be revalidated before they inform current investment decisions.
• Cross-device behavior should be considered as one customer journey rather than separate channel silos.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did tablets matter so much to marketers?

They changed where and how consumers browsed, watched content, shopped and used apps, creating new expectations for portable digital experiences.

Does device type still matter today?

Yes, but less as a standalone category. Marketers increasingly need to understand the entire cross-device journey and how behavior changes by context.

What should brands measure when device behavior changes?

Look at traffic, engagement, conversion, content consumption, app usage and purchase behavior by device and context, then connect those patterns to business outcomes.

Sources:
1. Zpryme Research and Consulting. (2012). 2012 Hispanic Mobile Consumer Trends. Retrieved from http://zpryme.com/hispanic_insights/Hispanic_Mobile_Consumer_Trends_2012_INFOgraphic_Zpryme_Hispanic_Insights.png

2. Wingfield, Nick and Nick Bilton. (2012, July 15). “As Tablet Race Heats Up, Apple May Try Smaller Devices.” The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/16/technology/apple-may-meet-tablet-competition-with-smaller-ipad.html?pagewanted=all