Who Are Tablet Users and Why Do They Matter To Your Organization?
You have probably noticed it more and more lately. On the subway, at the coffee shop, at the office. Everywhere you look someone is staring down at a beautiful, flat glowing screen. It’s like you’ve stepped into a movie about the future. Except the future is now. And the future is tablets…
What’s the deal with tablet users?
According to a new report from comScore, tablets have reached a “critical mass” in the U.S. That means it’s time for all of us to take notice of the impact of tablet users. So what do we know about the tablet user demographic? A comScore demographic analysis of U.S. tablet users yielded the following insightful results:
- Tablet users are almost evenly split between male (49.2%) and female (50.8%)
- The heaviest audience concentration (45.8% of users) is between the ages of 25-44
- Compared to smartphone owners, tablet users were 28 percent more likely to be in the 65 and older age bracket
- Nearly 3 in 5 tablet users resided in households with income of $75,000 or greater
What do these demographics tell us about tablet users?
- They skew older than smartphone users
- They skew toward upper income households
If this sounds like a targeted demographic you are trying to reach with some or all of your marketing efforts, then you definitely should be paying attention. Engaging tablet users could mean engaging the exact people you’re trying to reach. So it makes sense to milk the medium for all it’s worth.
Three ways to better reach tablet users
What can your organization do to better target and reach tablet users?
1. Incorporate Video
Tablet users are far more likely to watch online videos. According to comScore: “more than half of U.S. tablet users watched video and/or TV content on their device in April 2012, compared to just 20 percent of the smartphone audience. Not only were tablet users more likely to watch video, but they were more likely to view video habitually with 18.9 percent of tablet users watching video content at least once a week, and 9.5 percent watching video nearly every day on their device.” So if you are marketing to tablet users, you definitely want video to be part of the equation.
2. Think Leisure Interaction
The way people use tablets is unique. According to econsultancy.com: “More than 50% of tablet interactions were found to take place in the late evening (between 7 – 12pm). 51% of tablet interactions take place while watching TV, and tablet users are 50% more likely to use their devices in this way than mobile or laptop users.” Use this information to give users an experience they can sink their teeth into on a tablet. Create a more interactive experience incorporating the unique features of tablets – the touchscreen, multiple viewing angles, GPS, etc. You could even create a specific landing page or microsite specifically designed for tablet users, with a link right on your home page (“click here if you’re using a tablet”).
3. Streamline Your Website
There are ways you can enhance your website to create a smooth user experience across platforms. These changes will not take away from your website on a computer, but will actually make it better conform to how individuals interactive with organizational websites nowadays. The first thing you want to do is simplify your site. Don’t overcrowd it with visuals and text. Minimalize. Use white space to your advantage – it will make your site look better on any screen. Avoid busy layouts that require tablet users to zoom in and out a lot. Another approach you can take is to develop your own app for Apple or Android tablets.
From the iPad to Kindle Fire, tablets have exploded in popularity. We’re past the days of early adoption. Tablets are mainstream, and their impact (along with mobile) is changing the way people view and interact with the Web. As tablets become more common, businesses and organizations need to take tablet users into account with their marketing initiatives.
