Ahead of its annual conference in the US in November 2014, MEF, the global community for mobile content and commerce has released a sneak peek at the findings of its 4th annual Global Consumer Survey.
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The report, which analyses consumer behaviour from 15,000 respondents in 15 countries, will be represented at MEF Global Forum, as part of the Global Day's regional tracks. Here are 11 trends taken from the report:
Wearables and mHealth
Use of wearable devices alongside fitness tracking and health & wellbeing apps is growing much more quickly outside of the US.
- Consumers in Asia (63%) and the Middle East (52%) are more likely to be aware of wearable devices than their European (43%) or US (42%) counterparts.
- 62% of consumers in United Arab Emirates have seen a medical professional use a mobile device during diagnosis or treatment. In the UK it's just 31% and US its 37%.
mPayments and Mobile Money
Paying or banking via a mobile device means different things in different markets - but adoption is growing worldwide.
- Germany is an early adopter of in-app purchases which stands at 44% versus a global average of 19%.
- 44% of Africans transfer airtime as a form of currency versus a global average of 17%.
- Kenya remains the king of mobile banking, with 93% of consumers using their mobile device to perform banking but there is also significant usage in the Middle East (78%) and Nigeria (85% up from 76% in 2013).
Mobile Education
The benefits and use of mobile in education are closely tied to internet access. Where the mobile internet is the primary and sometimes only digital touch-point, mobile in education is thriving.
- Kenyans are well aware of the benefits of mEducation. 45% say it makes learning more convenient (versus a global average of 33%) and 39% appreciate its enabling of remote learning (versus a 26% global average).
- European mobile users are not so keen. Only 16% say it makes learning more fun, and 12% that it makes it more social (vs a global average of 26% and 23% respectively). US consumers are only slightly more positive: 20% say it makes learning more fun, and 14% that it makes it more social.
Consumer Experience
The consumer journey - how users experience mobile - directly reflects the adoption of mobile content and commerce.
- A lack of trust in mobile remains the largest single obstacle to growth, and nowhere more so than in China and Mexico (41% and 40% versus an average of 34%). Brazil has also seen a sharp rise in trust-related concerns (from 31% to 36%).
- The use of a tablet computer alongside a mobile phone is on the increase, most notably in China and the UK (34% versus an average of 22%).
- China continues to lead the way in the purchase of physical and perishable goods via mobile (52% versus a global average of 30%). In the UK and US, such purchases - while higher than average (36% and 35%) - are on the decline.
- Indian consumers are among the most likely to purchase via a social media page (23% versus a global average of 15%). In the UK it's just 11% and the US 16%.
For more information, go to http://mefglobalforum.org.
