Exploring Device Ownership by Country

While the smartphone has been widely adopted in all three countries, Australia leads the way with 88% of consumers owning the device. In fact, with the exception of those 65 and up, we found a near universal adoption rate (>90%) by Australian consumers in every age group. In the US, laptop ownership (80%) exceeded smartphone ownership (75%), and we also saw the highest ownership of desktops (66%). Despite their affinity for earlier devices, including laptops and desktop computers, US consumers also own the most wearables (13%) among the three countries. And the UK has a higher level of tablet ownership (60%) than either Australia (54%) or the US (57%).

[Table or chart in PDF file - Register or sign in to view]

Purchase Patterns Do Not Always Mimic Ownership

Consumers in all countries own an average of three, or nearly three, of the five devices in the survey, but they do not use them all for online purchases. In fact, the Australian consumer currently averages only one device for that purpose. We expect that to change over time, as we have begun to see more diversification of devices for purchase in the other regions. US consumers use an average of 1.8 devices for online purchasing, and the UK uses 1.6.

When we look more specifically at the devices used for online purchasing, the first interesting observation is that though Australia leads the UK and US in smartphone ownership, it lags behind both in the use of smartphones for purchasing. Eighty-eight percent of AU adults own a smartphone, but only 30% have made a purchase using it. Contrast this with the US where 75% of adults own the device and 38% have used it to purchase and the UK where 82% own the device and 37% have used it for purchasing.

Another interesting fact is that adults in the UK make purchases more frequently via their tablets (34%) than in the US (25%) or Australia (19%).

Want more like this?

Want more like this?

Insight delivered to your inbox

Keep up to date with our free email. Hand picked whitepapers and posts from our blog, as well as exclusive videos and webinar invitations keep our Users one step ahead.

sign up

By clicking 'SIGN UP', you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

SIGN UP

By clicking 'SIGN UP', you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Do Demographics Make a Difference?

Not surprisingly, the use of a smartphone for purchasing is related to age. The younger the consumer, the more likely he or she will use a smartphone for online purchasing. Two-thirds (65%) of consumers in the 18-24 age group in both the UK and US have purchased via their smartphone versus 55% in Australia. For all other age groups, Australia ranks lowest, the UK falls in the middle and the US shows the highest proportion for shopping online with a smartphone. Clearly, age is a much more important factor than country

The other interesting finding is that gender differences rule across these three countries. Men own more devices than women and use them more for purchasing.

Additionally, while men and women in both Australia and the UK have identical preferences for purchasing via a smartphone (30% and 37% respectively), men in the US are more likely to purchase via their smartphone (43%) than women (35%).

Another distinction we noted relates to tablets, particularly for consumers in the UK who own (60%) and purchase (34%) via the device more often than consumers from either Australia or the US. The most notable difference: Both Australia and the US have a similar pattern related to age and tablet use and show a similar distribution of tablet purchases. It peaks in the 25-44 age groups and trails off on either side. But the pattern in the UK is much more consistent across age groups, with generally a third of each cohort purchasing via tablet. Even use by the oldest group (55+) is much higher in the UK with one-fifth (22%) purchasing via tablet, twice the proportion in either Australia (11%) or the US (11%).

Conclusion

To be effective in any of these regions, it is essential to understand the dynamics of mobile and online shopping and purchasing. For example, Australians have the highest rate of smartphone ownership, but that hasn’t translated to widespread use of the device for online purchasing. On the other hand, the US embraces a wider diversity of devices, and its consumers are quick to use them for ecommerce. And the tablet is more important to the UK audience than to either Australia or the US.

In some cases, the demographics seem to drive behavior more, regardless of country. For example, men own and use more devices than women in all three countries. Smartphones are more the province of younger consumers, and desktops are more widely used by the older consumer.

The bottom line: Commerce marketers must ensure that the shopping and purchasing experience for their brand is appropriate for their target audience, both in terms of demographics and preferred device(s). For instance, the omnichannel experience is critical in the US and UK where consumers use multiple devices along their path to purchase, while merchants in Australia – and those whose target audience is younger - should focus on a mobile-first strategy. These regional and demographic differences can help you focus your efforts and meet consumers where they are. They’ve told us what they like and how they prefer to shop. Now take the information and run with it.