Mobile app usage is continuing to rise exponentially. As smartphone capabilities grow, so do the mobile adoption rates amongst the UK’s population and throughout businesses. We picked out key trends that UK’s enterprise can leverage to increase efficiency, create social responsibility and adopt better business processes in 2018.
According to a recent consumer survey by Deloitte, who carried out research within the UK, smartphone adoption amongst adults has gradually increased. Most recently they discovered smartphones were used by 85% of adults across the regions. It’s only set to rise, and for the younger age groups – it has already reached over 90% for 18-45 year olds.
It’s not just the young, among older age groups, ownership levels have grown strongly. According to the same report, it was discovered that in the last year, smartphone usage among 55-75 year olds increased to 71%. It’s a huge jump if we consider that back in 2012, this was at just 29%. This brings with it huge opportunities to a largely untapped and relatively ignored tech-minimalist generation.
With so much of the UK’s population using smartphones in their spare time, it’s no surprise to learn that more people are also increasingly using their smartphones for work related activities.
There are currently 33.5 million people in work in the UK, and app optimisation for work-related processes is a booming business. Mobile can create efficiency in processes, interactions and experiences. These are just some of the key reasons to explore mobile technology to transform the way work gets done.
If we use the recruitment industry as an example, mobile technology can save costs on streamlined processes, leading to retention in candidates and enhanced customer experiences. Numerous businesses, from retail store operations, healthcare to sales – can all incorporate mobile technology into their business models.
The focus here is on improving productivity, with support from mobile technology. Whether it’s freeing up employees from their desks, transforming point of sale or changing the way we hire new recruits. There’s opportunity for mobile to increase efficiency and make companies more competitive in the long run.
Responsible mobile app usage is something (with the help of machine learning) businesses will be led towards in 2018. Why should we focus on this? As businesses increasingly adopt mobile phone apps, they can also gain responsibility towards how and when these are used.
These opportunities vary from socially aware prompts to practical guidance that encourage users to take measures to prevent app usage during specific situations. One example is Tencent, one of the largest tech companies in Asia, which introduced age based restrictions for its most popular game, Honour of Kings. It limited app usage to one hour for those within a younger age group.
And, while there are many positive aspects of app usage, businesses can adapt their apps and incorporate machine learning to create a positive balance to some smaller negative aspects of technology. For instance, there’s opportunities to provide reminders if your app is used too late at night, is impacting sleep patterns or if used while driving.
All in all, there are many opportunities for UK businesses to react to the growth of mobile app usage. If you have any questions on how your business can be impacted, then get in touch to speak to one of our tech experts to guide you in the right direction.
We help businesses navigate the digital landscape by taking a planned approach to development and working in an iterative manner. From ideation workshops to development to digital marketing and aftercare, we can help your business optimise processes and generate additional revenue streams.
