As I sit at my computer, iPad, or smartphone – all of which act as windows to the world – I still find myself thinking domestically. Even though we have easy access to almost any spot on the globe, it’s only natural to default to the familiar. How does this impact my market, my city, my street…me?
As I pour over mobile stats, almost daily, I sometimes forget to consider what’s happening in Europe, Japan, even Canada… and I live in Minnesota! I guess you could say, “I can see Canada from my house.” (Sorry, it was too easy.)
That said, comScore has released its 2012 Mobile Future in Focus report and it’s riddled with facts on international markets. The observations from 2011 quickly expand your mobile worldview. Take a look!
While smartphone acquisitions increased to 55% in the U.S. (and we often hear different numbers regarding smartphone usage in the U.S.), you see that we still trail the UK, Spain, Canada and Italy in actual usage. What you may find surprising is that Japan– home of everything tech – has achieved only 16.6 percent penetration. However, as comScore points out, many of the features we find in smartphones have been available for some time on feature phones in Japan.
How about the brand/OS battle? Here’s a look at the top OEMs' total mobile share in select markets.
As you can see Nokia remains the leader overall, followed by Samsung. Apple makes it debut in the Top 3. You may notice that Japan again differs with Sharp and Panasonic holding the top spots.
In the smartphone arena, Apple stands out globally as well as Nokia. However, in Canada, RIM hangs on to the top spot…for now.
Check out the OS battle. Android is rockin’ with 31 percent share in Europe, but is closely followed by Symbian (Nokia).
In contrast, take a look at Japan; Android is cleaning up with over 60 percent of the market. Of course you need to keep in mind that the smartphone category is relatively new in Japan, thereby reflecting a more clear-cut choice.
Finally, because I like poking the QR code bear, here is a look at QR code usage. I’m not a huge fan of the scanning option right now, but we Americans are using it more than our global neighbors.
Obviously, it’s important to keep your eye on your target market. However, keeping tabs on the global trends will offer a glimpse at the future as well!