Smartphone Penetration Reaches 57%

Bob Bentz    Cell Phones     ownership, smartphone, usa

The percentage of Americans with smartphones reached 57% in February, 2013.  It’s now been 40 years since the first cell phone call so Happy Birthday Mobile Phones.

57% of Americans now own smartphones

QR Code Scan Rates by Country

Bob Bentz    Cell Phone, Technology, Cell Phones, QR Codes     code, qr, rate, scan, South Korea, Turkey, usa

This study from Nielsen shows that 24% of Americans with smartphones had scanned a QR code within the past 30 days. Smartphone users in South Korea and Turkey were most likely to be QR Code scanners at 38%.

Want to see the largest gallery of Custom QR Codes in the world? Check it out here.

STUDY: 19% of Americans Have Scanned a QR Code

Bob Bentz    QR Codes     france, germany, QR Codes, scan rate, UK, usa

A new study by Pitney Bowes shows that 19% of Americans have scanned a QR Code.

QR Code scans are most common in the USA vs other European countries.

Pitney Bowes also studied other countries: UK – 15%; Germany – 14%; France – 12%.

Of course, like most new technologies, the younger you are, the more likely that you are a QR Code scanner.  Of 18-24-year-olds in the United States, 39% have scanned a QR Code.  Of 25-34′s, 36% have scanned.

Magazines lead the way when asked where the QR Code scans are taking place with 15% having scanned there.

In a previous post from a late 2011 study, we showed that slightly more than 20% of Americans had scanned a qr code at that point.  And, a more recent study of QR Codes from January, 2013 showed why consumers scanned QR Codes.

Download the pdf story here.

Smartphone Ownership Hits 51%

Bob Bentz    Cell Phone, Technology     ownership, smartphone, usa

September, 2012 is the month when the majority of Americans owning a mobile device are now smartphone owners, at least according to comScore.  Nielsen said in its study that this figure was reached in May 2012.

Smartphone ownership, according to comScore, has now passed 51% in the USA.

Smartphone Ownership Passes 50% in USA

Bob Bentz    Cell Phones     smartphone, usa

Penetration of smartphones in the USA market has now surpassed 50%,

according to a May, 2012 study by Nielsen

New Mobile Billing Committee Gives Hope for USA

Bob Bentz    Uncategorized     billing, carriers, meeting, mobile, platform, usa

Mobile payments offer a tremendous opportunity for those of us in the telemedia business.  Giving consumers the ability to pay microbills through their mobile carrier would open up tremendous possibilities for both the industry and the consumer.

For mobile payments to meet these lofty goals, the US carriers will need to develop a level of cooperation and agreement on how the business should be run.

While there have been mobile billing options to date, all have fallen a bit short. Premium SMS has been beset by numerous audits and a poor payout return that have made it less effective than it might have been.  Other mobile billing options have appeared to have improved on the payment process and return, but often the problem is that all carriers do not choose to participate.  And, if all of the carriers are not participating, it makes for a tough sell.

One of the biggest frustrations that we face in the United States is the carriers apparent inability to set unified standards for the industry.  Take premium SMS, for example.  The Mobile Marketing Association gives us a guidelines book that is in excess of 2 inches wide!  Many of the pages are dedicated to differing standards set on everything from advertising to payout time periods.  It is, quite frankly, not a user friendly system.

There is hope on the horizon, however.  A newly formed group called the Mobile Payments Committee hopes to bring the big four carriers to the same bargaining table in an effort to put together a unified system for mobile payments.  In fact, Jackie Moran, of Verizon, has been selected to chair the committee.

Let’s hope that this group is able to put together rules and regulations that those of us in the industry will gladly follow in an attempt to have a unified and profitable mobile billing platform.

NEWS ALERT: Google Android Takes the Lead

Bob Bentz    Cell Phones     2012, market share, smartphones, usa

First there was RIM Blackberry and then soon after iPhone became the dominant smartphone platform.

No more.  Now, Google Android dominates the smartphone market with a 51% market share in the USA.

With over half of Americans now owning smartphones, the move by Android is especially significant.

My how times change in this business…and quickly.