Food, water and clean air: All are essentials in our daily lives. But mobile devices? They may not be critical to survival, but a majority of consumers around the world (56%) can’t imagine life without them, and 53% say they feel anxious when their devices aren’t close at hand.
Indeed, for many consumers, mobile devices are a constant companion with powerful benefits. Among global respondents, 74% say they appreciate the freedom of being connected anywhere, anytime, and 70% strongly or somewhat agree that their mobile device has made their life better. This constant connectivity has changed the nature of connections. Fully two-thirds of global respondents (66%) strongly or somewhat agree that electronic interactions are replacing face-to-face ones, and almost half (47%) say they’d rather text than talk. In fact, interactions are turning into transactions.
For many consumers, mobile devices have become indispensable shopping buddies. More than half of global respondents say they use their mobile device when shopping to compare prices (53%) or look up product information (52%). More than four in 10 respondents use their device to look for coupons or deals (44%), make better shopping decisions (42%) or make shopping trips quicker or more efficient (41%).