75% of Worldwide Cellphone Users Texting

Social networking most popular in Israel (53%) and the U.S. (50%)

Texting remains the universal method of communication – around the world. According to a survey of cellphone users in 21 countries, 75% replied they send text messages. The Pew Research Center Global Attitudes Project study, published this week, studied the use of digital communication tools including mobile and social networks worldwide. The study found those young and well-educated are the most likely to adopt new technologies. Those under 30 who hold college degrees are most likely to use many mobile functions and social networks. And that only one-half of the respondents send photos or videos, and just 23% use the Internet.

MOBILE USAGE
Texting is most popular in Kenya and Indonesia, the two poorest nations included in the study. Sending photos or videos is most popular in Japan (72% reported the behavior), followed by Mexico (61%), Spain (59%) and Egypt (58%). Using mobile data still seems to be a behavior of wealthier countries, most popular in Israel (47%), Japan (47%) and the U.S. (43%). Complete results:

SOCIAL NETWORKS
The study also looks at the use of social networking, which corresponds with wealthy nations where Internet access is more common. Social networking is most popular in Israel (53%) and the U.S. (50%), followed by Britain (43%), Russia (43%) and Spain (42%). However, Internet users in poorer nations use social networks at equal if not higher rates than those in richer countries.

The study, conducted between March 21 and May 15, 2011 – surveyed between 700 and 4,029 mobile users per country by telephone or in person in the U.S., Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel, China, Indonesia, Japan, Pakistan, Mexico and Kenya.

For more information, see Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project

QWASI implements Mobile & Social Strategy for business. Contact us today to learn more about Social Marketing and Mobile Marketing strategies @ 877-747-9274.

December 22, 2011 in Blog   |   No Comments

Mobile & TV see increase in Viewership & Usage Time

US adults spend more time with mobile than print magazines and newspapers combined

Adults are still watching more and more traditional TV, whether it’s live or recorded on a DVR or DVD, according to eMarketer. The average US Adult consumer spends 4 hours and 34 minutes each day watching TV and video on a traditional television set this year, up 10 minutes from last year.

Time spent with the internet and mobile phones was also up—by 7.7% and 30%, respectively—and while adults are spending less time than last year with radio and print publications, the increases to TV and digital also mean an increase in total time spent with media, to 11 hours and 33 minutes.

Mobile’s 30% jump from 2010 helped propel it past the 1-hour mark, but also means that US adults now spend more time with their mobile phones than with print magazines and newspapers combined, at 1 hour and 5 minutes vs. just 44 minutes.

Average Time Spent per Day with Major Media by US Adults, 2011 (hrs:mins)

Note: Time spent with each medium is averaged across the whole US adult population, not just users of the respective medium. Time spent with each medium also includes all time spent with that medium, regardless of multitasking, so an hour of watching TV while simultaneously on the internet is considered an hour of each activity.

Shifts in ad spending remain behind the shifting consumption patterns of the US population. While TV is unquestionably getting its fair share of dollars, the amount of ad spending going toward digital does not yet reflect the amount of time consumers have invested in these areas of their lives. Mobile, for example, has a more than 10% share of adults’ media time each day, but less than 1% of ad dollars. While much time spent on mobile is on communication activities that marketers would be wise not to interrupt (such as phone calls), it is also an underused touchpoint.

Share of Average Time Spent per Day with Select Media by US Adults vs. US Ad Spending Share, 2011 (% of total)

On the flip side, newspapers and magazines continue to command ad dollars far ahead of their importance in consumers’ day. Part of this is due to the cost of advertising—glossy magazine ads and full-page newspaper spreads command higher rates than much digital advertising. But it also indicates that the revenue troubles for print will likely continue as advertisers follow eyeballs and continue to pull spending from these media.

Take-Away: As advertisers awaken to the surge in mobile & social usage and the imbalance in advertising spend compared to other media options, advertising dollars will follow.

December 12, 2011 in Blog   |   No Comments

Social Media Usage shifts to Contect Distribution

According to eMarketer, the number of Facebook users in the US will increase 13.4% this year. That is after a successful growth run of 38.6% in 2010 and a 90.3% rise in 2009. The rate of adult Twitter user adoption has similarly begun to plateau, dropping from 293.1% growth in 2009 to 26.3% this year and still slowing. In many developing countries, these and other networks are seeing their audience growth taper off as most new users come from other countries such as the BRIC nations and Indonesia.

Throughout more advanced countries, behavior has shifted after spending years on the sites. According to the GlobalWebIndex Wave 5 Trends report, social network usage growth has all but stopped among 16 to 24 year-olds in the US and only in in a few countries where it’s actually declining.

Among those who remain on Facebook, GlobalWebIndex reports, declines were detected in activities participation including messaging with friends, sending digital gifts, installing applications and joining groups between July 2009 and June 2011. These activities appear to be decreasing faster in the US than worldwide and are often decreasing even further among college-educated US users under the age of 30.

Meanwhile, on microblogs like Twitter, the heaviest users are focused on disseminating content. Links to other microblogs, personal photos, and links to videos and news stories were the top subjects of status updates on these real-time oriented social sites among frequent users. Other than personal photos, these all relate to content created by others, while most content creation activities scored lower.

When these users are asked what they want from brands, consumers ask for knowledge and among younger adults, entertainment. Brands have an opportunity to use the transmission-oriented social media landscape to disseminate valuable content to followers—who in turn are hungry for interesting and entertaining content to transmit.

September 17, 2011 in Blog   |   No Comments

Retailers focus on introducing more Mobile and Social Marketing Efforts

According to a new study by Forrester Research for Shop.org, a growing number of retailers are expanding their marketing strategies to include mobile and social initiatives.

This study finds that 91-percent of retailers currently have a mobile marketing strategy in place, up from 74 percent a year ago. In addition, it finds that an additional 72 percent of retailers reported they plan to increase spending on social networks this year, according to “The State of Retailing Online 2011: Marketing, Social and Mobile” report.

Many consider 2010 as a year of exploratory efforts and first initiatives for retailers in social media and new mobile technologies. This year is being spent looking at tablet devices, such as the iPad according to Shop.org head of research Fiona Swerdlow. “As sales channels continue to blur in retail, companies are creating mobile apps that make their brands seem current, entertaining or fun, while at the same time creating a unique opportunity to connect with more shoppers than ever before.”

Some surprises find the following:
21 percent of all mobile traffic is coming from tablets
48 percent of retailers report having a mobile-optimized website
35 percent have deployed an iPhone app and 15 percent offer both Android and iPad apps.

Retailers’ interest in social networks has also increased when compared to last year, according to the report, which showed that social networks ranked fourth on the list of successful customer acquisition sources. However, concerns remain over the ability to clearly track ROI from social-network marketing, with 62 percent of retailers saying the returns on social marketing strategies are unclear. (Nearly the same amount of retailers said the primary ROI from social media is a better understanding of consumers.)

“The data indicates that significant investments in social and mobile tactics will be in place this year,” said Sucharita Mulpuru, vice president, principal analyst at Forrester Research. “Retail executives should have modest expectations for the benefits of social commerce. With regard to mobile, retailers should be working to increasingly integrate features and functionality into the physical store experience. While consumers may not be extensively exploring product information yet, basic store information, transparent pricing and easy checkout capabilities are likely to be the most pressing opportunities for most sites in the near term.”

BOTTOM LINE: Retailers are currently using one ore two successful solutions aimed at attracting and retaining new customers via the mobile channel. As they continue to more effort behind growing the effectiveness and reach of their platforms, they will grow both revenue, but also increase ROI. These approaches include the fluid use of Apps (device and tablet), Messaging (Mobile Messaging and Social Messaging) and Mobile Web. Without a clear view into the data across these services, retailers will remain in the dark.

May 31, 2011 in Blog   |   No Comments

QWASI brings together Mobile and Social Networks for Real Estate

Share your next home on Facebook and Twitter with CellSigns. Buyers and Agents can now share real estate listings via Mobile and on Social Networks FaceBook & Twitter.

PHILADELPHIA, November 19, 2009 – CellSigns, Inc., the leading provider of mobile tools and services for real estate, announced today the addition of new social network features to its CellSigns Property Marketing and Mobile Agent solutions. CellSigns brings together two very powerful forces: mobile and social networks.

`Continuing its leadership within the Real Estate Industry, CellSigns brings new ways for Home Buyers and Real Estate agents to tag and share their properties on social networks. With the addition of FaceBook and Twitter connections, home buyers can now tag a home and share it with family & friends on social network accounts. It’s become vital for REALTORS and real estate agents to reach across social networks like Facebook.

According to Parenting Group’s research panel of 5,000 moms, 60% of moms report having used a social network in the past 24 hours. Of that group, over 80% are online with Facebook. According to a recent eMarketer survey, “mobile social networkers” will total 56.2 million by 2013 in the United States, accounting for 45 percent of the mobile Internet user population and highlights the importance of using this media to reach Gen X and Gen Y as a means of communication.

Agents using CellSigns Property Marketing and Mobile Agent can easily extend their area of influence through mobile and social networks. The services can also distribute and syndicate their listings, automatically. This allows agents to provide greater reach for their listings and reach new buyers and sellers in the process.

- Automatically distribute listing content to FaceBook or Twitter

- Allows FB and Twitter friends to see full details of the listing content

- Data automation available through MLS Feeds (IDX or RETS) and Direct Broker Feeds

The first client to launch with these new features is the Allen Tate Company. Allen Tate, the Carolinas’ leading real estate company and the 11^th largest broker in the country, is making real estate text messaging available throughout the Charlotte, Triad, Triangle and Upstate South Carolina regions. Properties with mobile texting capabilities will be identified with sign riders, indicating the unique property ID and text messaging number. The mobile texting technology is compatible with all types and brands of cell phones.

“The power of mobile search, mobile marketing, and social networks come together with the CellSigns mobile real estate service,” notes David Geipel, COO of QWASI, Inc. “Mobile is not a trend or fade but a way of life in real estate. It’s a ubiquitous activity that encompasses search and discovery. What we’ve done with our services is to tap into the strengths of mobile and social networks. Allowing home buyers, for example, to pull up to a home for sale, search via their mobile phone using SMS (text messaging) or even Mobile Web (WAP) and then share that property with their family or friends is very instinctual. It gives the buyer a chance to let others share their thoughts on that home directly with others.”

Home buyers can sign up for Mobile Agent by visiting http://www.mymobileagent.com.

CellSigns has also introduced these features to its popular mobile IDX service Mobile Agent. Mobile Agent is the only mobile real estate service that allows buyers and agents to search and interact via SMS & WAP. The CellSigns real estate text messaging service and mobile search tools were awarded the “Most Innovative Technology of the Year” award in real estate from Inman News.

ABOUT CELLSIGNS

CellSigns (www.cellsigns.com), a wholly-owned subsidiary of QWASI, Inc. company, is a leading mobile applications company providing interactive solutions and mobile marketing for businesses via text messaging, SMS, MMS and WAP. Supported by every major wireless carrier and working on over 99% of all cell phones, the company offers Mobile Agent real estate search, private label mobile search tools, mcommerce, SMS Chat, Text Ordering, Mobile IM (MIM) applications, customized alerting and the only interactive property marketing service for real estate. CellSigns powers over one million real estate listings, 1.5 million mobile ads and mobile alerts.

VIDEO: CellSigns and Mobile Agent – the power of Social Networks

November 19, 2009 in Press Releases   |   No Comments