Smart-device obsession spreads

Are you obsessively mobile? You’ve got lots of company.

U.S. consumers are becoming increasingly obsessed with their devices—nearly 90% check their phone in the first hour of consciousness. And 23% consult their device up to 50 times a day.

So says a new Deloitte survey on mobile consumer trends. And that’s just for starters.

“While it’s common knowledge that consumers are addicted to their mobile devices, it turns out that consumers are truly more inseparable from their devices than previously thought,” says Craig Wigginton, vice-chairman and U.S telecommunications sector leader, Deloitte & Touche, LLP. “With over 70% checking their phones within 30 minutes of waking up, consumer obsession with devices is phenomenally high and the sheer amount of times per day that consumers access their devices for various activities, be it email, text messages, or social networks is staggering.”

Wrap me in tech

Americans increasingly want to be cocooned in technology. Despite the newness of the internet of things (IoT) technology, 55% of those surveyed are already interested in a “connected home” solution—with consumers also showing interest in “connected car” IoT.

Survey results also indicated that in-store mobile payments technologies currently are underutilized by U.S. consumers—an attitude that could change given recent market developments. If so, there is high growth potential for mpayments. The survey findings show that consumers are interested in mpayment solutions almost anywhere they use some more traditional form of payment. In addition, 41% of consumers who have a device with near-field communication technology used it in the last month.

How devices change U.S. life

Other key findings in the survey include:

• The year of data streaming: Consumers are increasingly enjoying high-quality audio and video content for their device, with the average consumer now using more than a gigabyte of data per month, with the majority allocated towards video.

Of those surveyed, 19% reported streaming tv or film more frequently than in 2013. Additionally, consumers reported 30% year-over-year growth in streaming music. On a weekly basis, 16% of consumers will use their devices to stream tv or movies and 43% of consumers will use their devices to stream music or listen to online radio.

Not surprisingly, the survey shows that the younger generations are driving the real growth in streaming music.

• Interest in price grows: This year’s survey continues to demonstrate how important mobile technologies are to U.S. consumers. As a corollary to their “device addiction,” consumers also are becoming savvier about pricing, both in terms of mobile devices and service plans.

For example, in 2014 consumers identified “price of the overall monthly subscription” as the top reason for selecting a mobile provider. Last year, friends-and-family plans, as well as the quality of the network, were consumers’ top choice.

The device market shows that it is maturing but steady, with survey respondents indicating that they intend to purchase new devices at the same rate of frequency over the next five years.

“In summary, the survey offers a number of growth opportunities for mobile players,” says Wigginton. “For example, increased consumption of online media could spark a new generation of innovative devices. Newer game-changers like mpayments and IoT have the potential to permeate the ecosystem in the form of new devices, applications, and services.”