What Devices Do People Use Most for Online Shopping?
Part of the reason why search engine optimization is so important is that people increasingly engaging in online shopping. When you’re trying to sell goods and services, this is where the customers are. For many businesses, physical location no longer matters the way that it used to. That’s not to say that there aren’t companies that still rely on foot traffic. But physical visibility has become much less important than online visibility. Even people who are going to eventually step foot in a brick-and-mortar store to make a purchase may do all of the initial research online.
When you break down the statistics, you’ll find that the smartphone is the most common device that they use. For instance, when considering all U.S. adults, roughly 76% of them say that they will shop on a smartphone. This is higher than even a desktop or laptop computer, which comes in at just 69%. Tablets are used even less frequently, despite the fact that they are essentially just oversized phones, at 28%.
Why Do These Trends Occur?
One reason for these trends is simply that younger individuals are more and more likely to use their devices. For example, 92% of people between 30 and 49 years old will shop on a smartphone, and 87% of people between 18 and 29 years old will do so. Compare this to just 48% of those who are 65 years old and older. As younger generations grow and older generations shrink, trends shift significantly.
Devices are also not much of a barrier when it comes to income levels in 2023. Upper-income individuals do use them the most often for shopping, at 81%, but middle-income individuals come in at 77% and lower-income individuals use their smartphones at 74%. Essentially, younger generations turn to the phone more than any other type of device, and phones are now inexpensive enough that almost everyone has one.
In fact, many younger people do not even own desktop or laptop computers. They can do everything that they need to do on a smartphone. Much of this has to do with the availability of constant internet access. The need to have a physical computer in one’s home to use the internet ended a decade ago, and it highly influenced how people do their online shopping.
Optimizing Your Site for Online Shopping
For all of these reasons and more, it is important to have a site that has been optimized for mobile use. You also need to consider SEO tactics to drive traffic to that site. Contact us today at Content Customs to find out how we can help.
