Technology change Kinetic’s latest consumer research reveals that 64% of Twitter users, and over half of Facebook users, are very active on the move. This has seen a fairly consistent upwards trajectory over the past year as smartphone penetration and functionality continues to evolve. Usage of location-based services is the highest of the emerging smartphone technologies mentioned with usage up around ten percentage points in 2012 so far. Understanding and recognition of other activation technologies like AR, NFC and QR code use also continues to rise and the combined needs of education of capitalising on use and full incorporation into smartphone releases will present a real consumer communication opportunity across the next few years. Consumer certainty of a digital OOH future has increased in the past 18 months. Those convinced that we will all be carrying internet-enabled devices wherever we are out of the home is now 83% (up around 10% in that time) and two-thirds believe in our ability to access the internet in any Out of Home location. A third more of us believe our mobile phones will be the most important piece of technology that we own compared to February 2011.
A quarter of Londoners have paid by tapping their phone against a machine, in comparison to 5% in the rest of the UK, but this will expand with bank and retailer-driven usage. Meanwhile a third of Londoners were using the same technology by tapping a debit/ credit card compared to 9% in the rest of the UK. Our varied campaign research has demonstrated high levels of activations of interactive advertising. We are also seeing more virtual shopping examples, with advertisers like Argos, Tesco and Ocado all adopting the creation of virtual shopping experiences to drive brand activation and purchase. Eye Corp and others have pioneered a more permanent use of this and it remains a realisable purchase outlet for advertisers targeting relevant consumer locations. When it comes to virtual shopping, over half of respondents believe direct interaction with Out of Home screens has a huge potential for shopping. Furthermore, 70% appreciate the usefulness and convenience of such virtual stores. Airports (70%), shopping malls (63%) and rail stations (59%) are seen to be the most beneficial environment to have virtual stores. Consumers appear aware of the importance of dwell time and how they would be happy to make good use of time waiting for a flight, train or even whilst already out shopping. When it comes to the products that people felt that they could see themselves buying in virtual stores, the top three were gifts at 68%, groceries at 53% and electronics at 52%.
The proliferation of smartphones and accompanying app technology, facilitating simple transferral of information or transactions, is translating into growing confidence amongst consumers. For example, we discovered that people are twice as likely to use mobile banking compared to one year ago. Whilst those using a mobile app to access their bank information has also jumped drastically from 1% to 11% since September 2011. Londoners in particular are much more likely to use a wider variety of payment methods including new technologies.
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The Future of Out of Home Media in the UK The industry, consumers and technology to 2020 – An update from Kinetic Worldwide
83%
64%
want internet access are convinced that we will all be carrying in any Out of Home location internet-enabled devices wherever we are out of the home in the future