Mobile devices have spurred growth and connectivity such that the Internet powers everything. Notebooks, netbooks, smartphones, tablets–you name it, devices are ubiquitous, and perpetually in hand and online. And that impacts, in a very large way, the way that businesses operate and also the way that life, in general, operates. It’s kind of scary, overwhelming, exciting, exhilarating and awe-inspiring, all rolled up into one. At least that’s how it is to me. But more exciting and exhilarating than anything.
Want to see what goes on on the Internet in any given minute? It’s pretty cool.
- 30 hours of video uploaded and 1.3 million video clips watched on YouTube
- 639,800 GB of global IP data transferred
- 204 million emails sent
- Amazon rings up 83,000 in sales (yes, in one minute)
- 320 new Twitter accounts are created and 100,000 new tweets are generated
- 3,000 photos are uploaded and there are some 20 million photo views
Whew. Are you amazed yet? There’s more.
- 100+ new LinkedIn accounts are created
- 1,300 new mobile device users
- 277,000 Facebook logins and 6 million Facebook
- 2 million search queries
And if you think that’s more than a little overwhelming, the number of networked devices (phones, tablets, computers, etc.) today is equal to the global population. By 2015–in just three short years—that amount is expected to be two times that of the global population. Holy catballs.
The lesson: if you think things are moving quickly today, buckle your seatbelts.
All the things you’re doing, from a personal and from a business standpoint, the pace at which information flows, how we manage our networks and grow and manage our businesses using the web—well, in the words of BTO, “B-b-b-baby, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.” And mobile devices, they’re revolutionizing everything.
So, what will you do about it? This proliferation of mobile devices and an always connected consumer base. Are you taking a good look at your business website and your analytics, which are your roadmap to what your customers are doing? Are you paying attention to how much traffic to your site is coming from mobile devices (and which kind), and are you watching those numbers grow on a month-to-month basis? What are you doing to adapt to the mobile consumption of data and information and how are you marketing to people using mobile devices? How are you delivering information to them and interacting with them? And how are you making their lives less complicated? How are you making it easy for them to do business with you?
If these aren’t things you’re already thinking about and working on–you’d best get going.
Image by craigemorsels via Creative Commons
Shelly Kramer is a Principal Analyst and Founding Partner at Futurum Research. A serial entrepreneur with a technology centric focus, she has worked alongside some of the world’s largest brands to embrace disruption and spur innovation, understand and address the realities of the connected customer, and help navigate the process of digital transformation. She brings 20 years’ experience as a brand strategist to her work at Futurum, and has deep experience helping global companies with marketing challenges, GTM strategies, messaging develoment, and driving strategy and digital transformation for B2B brands across multiple verticals. Shelly’s coverage areas include Collaboration/CX/SaaS, platforms, ESG, and Cybersecurity, as well as topics and trends related to the Future of Work, the transformation of the workplace and how people and technology are driving that transformation. A transplanted New Yorker, she has learned to love life in the Midwest, and has firsthand experience that some of the most innovative minds and most successful companies in the world also happen to live in “flyover country.”