Google: Smartphone penetration in Chinese cities reached 47% in 2013

On July 31, 2013, Google released a survey report on smartphone usage, which provides an in-depth understanding of people's smartphone usage and characteristics this year. Chinese users are entering the mobile era more comprehensively than ever before, embracing the arrival of the mobile revolution, and smart advertisers must also keep up with the pace of users as soon as possible.

Smartphones have become an integral part of our daily lives: The penetration rate of smartphones in Chinese cities has increased significantly, from 33% in 2012 to 47%, and nearly half of Chinese urban residents already own smartphones. Among them, 69% of users use smartphones to access the Internet every day, which is higher than smartphone users in the United States. People use smartphones anytime and anywhere, whether at home, on the road or on public transportation. Smartphones have become an integral part of our daily lives. Smartphones are so important to consumers that 60% of users would rather give up their TV than their smartphones. In the United States, only 36% of users are willing to do so. If businesses make mobile business part of their core strategy, there is an opportunity to attract new mobile users and benefit from it.

Smartphones have changed consumer behavior: People use their smartphones for a wide variety of activities. Data shows that mobile search, video, applications, and social networking are very active, with 97% of users engaging in entertainment activities. Smartphones are the main access point for users to search, with 60% of users using smartphones to search every day. It is worth mentioning that 85% of users are multitasking while using their smartphones, such as listening to music, watching TV, reading newspapers and magazines, playing video games, watching movies, and reading books. The popularity of smartphones has also brought about the rapid development of applications. The average number of applications installed on a smartphone is 26, the number of applications used in the past 30 days is 10, and the average number of paid applications installed is 2. This shows that companies should expand their advertising strategies, enter the mobile network, and implement integrated cross-media marketing activities, so that they can more effectively attract today's consumers.

Smartphones have changed the way consumers shop: More and more users are using smartphones, so it is crucial for local businesses to be present on smartphones. Data shows that users not only use smartphones to find local information, but also use them to make purchases. In China, 98% of users have used smartphones to research and compare products or services to be purchased, which is the highest proportion in the world. Smart Chinese consumers will choose to inspect products at home, on the road, or in the store anytime and anywhere. In addition, 69% of smartphone users in China have shopped on their phones, while this figure is only 46% in the United States. It can be seen that users have become more and more accustomed to buying directly on their phones. Therefore, for companies, it is necessary to try to establish "mobile-friendly" websites, such as making mobile websites that are suitable for the screen size of mobile devices and the interface of smartphones, and providing as detailed information as possible on products or services, so that users can contact the company more conveniently.

Smartphones help advertisers connect with consumers: In China, 97% of smartphone users pay attention to mobile ads, which ranks highest in the world. In contrast, only 89% of users in the United States pay attention to mobile ads. This shows that mobile ads are not ignored by users. They will notice mobile ads when using mobile apps, browsing websites, using search engines, and watching videos. In addition, smartphones can also improve the effectiveness of traditional advertising. Data shows that 89% of smartphone users will use their smartphones to search for more information about ads and brands after seeing offline ads. Therefore, advertisers need to make mobile advertising part of an integrated marketing strategy to increase consumer engagement.

Trends from mobile to multi-screen: Chinese users are not only becoming more and more mobile, but also often use multiple devices at the same time for communication, shopping and entertainment. 85% of users use other media while using smartphones, such as watching TV (40%); 79% of users complete the purchase on the computer after viewing product information on the phone. We are entering a multi-screen world. With the integration of different terminals, the huge business opportunities brought about by this have also made marketing more complicated, and the accuracy of advertising has become increasingly important. Under this trend, Google is using its own technology and platform to help marketers come up with their own solutions, enhanced campaigns, which allow advertisers to easily manage different platforms (such as mobile devices and computers) in the same campaign, and ultimately reach the target audience.

Appendix: Survey and Statistical Background (the survey subjects are mainly urban residents in China)

● In partnership with Ipsos MediaCT, Google surveyed 1,000 Chinese online adults (aged 18-64) who confirmed they access the internet using smartphones

● The survey was distributed using a nationally representative survey method, and the data was weighted based on users’ age, gender, region, smartphone brand, frequency of mobile internet use, and tablet usage

● Most are male: 56% male, 44% female

● Mostly young people: 67% are between 18 and 34 years old

● High education: 53% of people have a bachelor degree or above

● Most are full-time employees: 81% are full-time employees