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Shift Happens: Mobile to Replace Desktop as Top Access Point

Shift Happens: Mobile to Replace Desktop as Top Access Point

By Matthew (WMF) (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons For several years now, experts have predicted that the number of users accessing the internet from mobile devices would eventually surpass the number using traditional desktop devices.

Experts originally thought the shift might happen around 2015.

But like meteorologists trying to predict the arrival of a hurricane as it approaches land, the mobile prognosticators underestimated the momentum of the gathering storm.

If anything, the shift is occurring far faster. And in numbers never before seen.

With it comes changes not just in how people engage with the web but, equally important, how companies engage with their constituents.

Understanding the size and scale of this shift was the basis of a presentation given by Biznet Digital founder Kevin Krason at the 4th quarter Digital Rendezvous networking event held at Craft Bar in Royal Oak, MI., on November 21st.

The Device is the Message
An oft-quoted phrase from the pre-internet era was “the medium is the message.” In our digital age, we could rework that phase to be, “the device is the message.”

Mobile adoption is the fastest technical adoption in history.  The convenience, accessibility and affordability of mobile devices have enabled this revolution.

This change in how — and how many — users consume information via mobile platforms has implications not just for online marketers, but for virtually every sector of the economy. And everyone.

Mobile is enabling new forms of entertainment, communication, media, and commerce.

Among the findings presented at Digital Rendezvous:

  • The number of people who go online from mobile devices will surpass desktop users in 2014, a year earlier than originally predicted
  • In terms of media consumption in the US, mobile is the only media time that is growing; people are scaling back on their uses of other media in favor of “mobile time”
  • Mobile phones are just the tip of the iceberg. The next frontier consists of wearable devices, networked houses, internet-enabled TVs; by 2020, there are expected to be 75 billion connected devices

What the Future Holds
For online marketers, the future is now. The shift is upon us.

Google has made it quite clear that mobile is at the top of their priority list. The recent Hummingbird update included more than a passing wave at acknowledging the mobile crowd.

Yet, according to a study, only six percent of Fortune 100 companies have web sites that  comply with Google’s mobile requirements.

So there’s a lot of catching up to do. While also keeping an eye on the future.

But fear not.

That just means there are lots of opportunities. Which bodes well for those of us eager to help clients recognize, understand and take advantage of these new and emerging trends.

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If you weren’t able to attend the Digital Rendezvous session, you can view the slideshow of Kevin’s presentation on Slideshare.