Millennials are hooked on smartphone technology as witnessed everyday at restaurants, in traffic, and on public transportation. AÂ new study by Zogby Analytics brings to light just how intense this obsession is.
According to the study, 87% of millennials say their phones never leave their sides. The first thing that 80% of millennials do every morning is reach for their smartphones, and 78% spend more than two hours a day texting, surfing, talking, and tweeting.
Millennials love the ease and speed of using their smartphone camera as a tool to get things done. About 60% say that everything will be done on mobile devices within the next five years.
More than 1,000 people between the ages of 18 and 34 were surveyed. One of the biggest features millennials say they love about their phones is the camera, which they use for more than just taking selfies. About 90% of the people surveyed reported using their smartphones to take pictures at least once a week.
More importantly, millennials use their phone for businesses – shopping, banking, and more. Almost 50% use their smartphones to access businesses at least once a day.
“Businesses will ignore this at their peril,” according to James DeBello, CEO of Mitek, the company behind mobile bank deposits, which commissioned the independent study: Millennials, Selfies and the Changing Face of Mobile Commerce. DeBello told USA Today that companies that don’t speak mobile “are missing the boat,” because young consumers are expecting it, even demanding it. “If you don’t have it, you’re considered old-fashioned, out of date, and not a company I want to do business with.â€
The study showed that 81% of millennials feel it is important for retailers to have high quality mobile apps. Almost 90% of millennials snap shots daily or weekly, and not just selfies. Say they’re out and about and see a shirt or device they like. They might grab a shot and send it to friends to see what they think – call it shopping by crowdsourcing.
They’re also depositing checks via photo, with 88% having or willing to deposit a check into their bank account by taking a picture of it on their phones. And they’re getting car insurance quotes by shooting a pic of their driver’s license and sending it off. They’re not manually entering their name, address, and contact information.
“I think the overall trend we discovered is they still wish they could do more, in fact, they expect it. And they want to do it faster and easier,” DeBello added.