What’s the one device that is as embedded into our lives as our family or friends? For better or worse, it’s our smartphones. 5.22 billion people (66.6% of the global population) currently use a mobile, and to give you an idea as to how often we’re glued to those little screens, the average American uses their phone for 5.4 hours each day.
When we say mobile usage is growing globally, we mean across the board. Usage is growing in relation to internet browsing, streaming and also purchasing.
80% of B2B buyers are using a mobile device to make purchases
In a global context, mobile data traffic is expected to increase 25% from current levels by 2025.
At Net Affinity, we have noted mobile performance growing steadily over the last few years, reaching peak levels in 2021. There was a significant increase in mobile bookings – in June, mobile traffic came in at 77% and in July, mobile revenue contributed 60% of revenue.
When you consider that 93% of consumers use internet resources to find local businesses (predominantly via mobile), it’s clear to see why you need to take mobile seriously – from every angle. This includes ensuring your website is mobile-optimised. It means making sure the tools in your entire hotel stack are mobile-optimised, for example – your booking engine. Your guests will not even consciously expect a seamless booking experience on their smartphones and if anything is awry, you’ve lost a potential customer in the blink of an eye.
61% of users will never return to a website that is not mobile-friendly
Mobile is also important to consider when you’re looking to invest in technologies that will make the entire guest experience a lovelier one! We spoke about the rise in smart hotels last week. Becoming more of a smart hotel can be achieved by giving guests the power to control more via their mobiles – things like contactless check in/check out, enabling smart-keys via mobile (like Yotel in Shoreditch, London) the lighting and temperature in their rooms, allowing them to cast/stream Netflix etc from their phones.
Our latest device trends report collating data from Q4 2021 shows that mobile traffic hit 80% for the first time ever in December 2021! Desktop was at an all time low the same month (17%).
Desktop traffic dropped from 20% to 19%, which brings it below the 20% mark for the first time ever.
Mobile transactions are slightly up too, increasing to 62%. Mobile’s average transaction values have stayed strong, with a 13% difference in rate to desktop bookings. This variance is the highest we have seen in a while, and it’s something we’ll continue to keep an eye on.