Meet your clients’ new couch companion: the tablet

We have been saying that smartphones are the next big thing for a few years now, and with more than half of Australians now calling a smartphone their own, things are just getting bigger and bigger. While the smartphone revolution is in full effect, another revolution is silently happening in its shade: the growth of the other mobile device called tablet. According to Telsyte 2.6 million Australians already use a touchscreen tablet. By 2016, that number is forecast to grow to 11 million.

Looking at Google search queries, our consumer research, and other external surveys and commentary, we think that we have a pretty good overview of how the new wave of “multi-screen consumers” are using their different devices.

The PC has become the workhorse. When we think PC, we mostly think about admin tasks such as replying to work emails and working on our household budgets. The smartphone on the other hand is our “constant companion.” It gives us access to relevant and immediate information when we need it most: when we are out and about. Of course, it also helps us kill time on the bus.

At Google we like to think of the tablet as the “couch companion.” When we look at the activity on tablets, we see a sharp increase towards the end of the night, peaking very late around 9 pm. During that time we do things on the tablet that we enjoy while relaxing: listening to music, updating social media, watching video, researching interests and things we want to buy.

Watching TV at home is still the preferred form of entertainment for 64% of Australians, but we tend to be multitasking as more than half use smartphones and tablets while watching TV, following a Deloitte survey of more than 2,000 Australians across four generations. The survey also found that 60% of viewers multitask on electronic devices.

The current prices of tablets mean they are still regarded as a luxury item, rather than an essential one. This also means that the demography of owners are skewed to more affluent households, and this provides an opportunity for advertisers who covet that market. Many businesses see tablet users buy more on their website as well as buy more often.

On the tablet, marketers can reach engaged eyes that are on a device they purchased to research, and use to shop. My message to them: get on tablets now, your clients are already there.

Posted by Alexandre Lamvohee, Mobile Display Lead, Google Australia & New Zealand