Consumers in APAC are moving away from using many apps on their PCs and using them on their mobiles due to the added convenience offered by many app categories.
The usage patterns of mobile services such as social networking and finance reveal that these apps get used the most at times traditional access methods can't conveniently be use, according to research commissioned by Globys. For example, most young adults using Facebook apps use the services just minutes after they wake up, and prefer this access method because it is easier and faster than using a PC.
Likewise, finance apps are most compelling during the commute to work, just before local stock markets open. The apps also get a lot of use the night before a trading day.
And betting apps, which are seeing strong traction with the blue-collar 30-60 set, are preferred for the ability to place bets minutes before a race, at a faster and more efficient pace than using traditional betting channels.
Globys senior vice president Duane Edwards said that these added conveniences are leading “a conversion in behavior from PC to mobile” for these categories of apps in APAC.
“People aren’t using mobile in the same way as they do their PCs,” he said. “They don’t sit in front of their mobile screens and consume meals of information as they do on their PCs. Instead, users are 'snacking' on information with the apps and VAS on their mobile devices.”
A truly successful mobile app needs, therefore, to offer incentives to convert user behavior from one screen to the other, Edwards said.
“What is critical is that [operators] take advantage of their unique characteristics and strengths of the mobile channel,” he said. “Their customer data assets and ability to uniquely identify an individual via the mobile device is key to being successful.”
Any offering should stress the location and timeliness advantages that mobile services can offer, and any other factor that gives mobile a competitive advantage over traditional channels.
Globys is a contextual marketing service provider for telecom operators.