Our lives have been completely radicalised by smartphones. It’s impossible to leave the house without one and you will undoubtedly encounter many people on the street whose eyes are glued to their screens. Among other things, phones have changed the business landscape regarding buying patterns and consumer needs in recent years. As such, in our article today, we are going to be exploring how exactly smartphones have changed customer behaviour and demand. Keep reading if you’d like to find out more.
Sooner Rather Than Later
Smartphones mean that the world is at our fingertips. In the past, if people wanted the answer to a question, they would have to sift through several books before finding it. Nowadays, they can simply use Google or other search engines to discover a wealth of knowledge. As smartphones have made it quicker and easier than ever before to get what you want, this has come to be expected with everything in our society. Resultantly, consumer needs have changed – people want things sooner rather than later. This has given rise to things like one-day deliveries, downloadable commodities, and instant gratification.
Everything on the Go
One of the best things about smartphones is how convenient and portable they are. It’s like carrying a small computer around in your pocket. This means that we can do pretty much anything whilst we’re on the go now – from organising a work schedule, running a business to chatting with friends and playing games. For example, people no longer need to visit land-based arcades when they can simply enjoy gaming on a mobile casino. Following on from smartphones turning everything mobile, consumers are now focused on convenience and being able to do anything whenever and wherever they want.
Switching to Online Shopping
Smartphones have also somewhat accelerated the growth of globalisation, so we are more connected with the rest of the world. As a result, the options available to consumers are much vaster than before. Shopping trips to the high street aren’t as appealing because you can find it all and more by simply going online. To keep up with this trend, many retailers have shifted their services to e-commerce, allowing people to buy their products via mobile applications. Not only is this a better way to showcase all their products, but also keeps in line with the consumers’ need for instant gratification and convenience.
Virtual, Not Physical
For all the reasons above, smartphones have also caused the sales for physical goods (such as books, music, films and games) to decrease by 32%. Instead, consumers are electing to download a virtual copy of these items. For instance, readers would rather buy eBooks because they are cheaper, and you can carry a whole library on your phone. Though the purists aren’t fans, this digital movement is in keeping with mainstream consumers’ demands.
These are some of the main ways that smartphones have changed the buying patterns of consumers in recent years. We will be interested to see if this movement keeps going, or if customers will begin missing the classic shopping experience.
