'Digital Omnivores' consume digital content via several touchpoints

Remember when it was super cool just to be able to listen to music while on the go, Walkman clipped on the waistband, earphones plugged in? Consumers want so much more while on the go in today's hectic, digital societies and, as comScore's latest figures show, they're getting it.

by Helen Leggatt

Today people want to plug in more than just earphones when out and about. They want to plug in to social networks, a video, make phone calls, find nearby stores, text friends, call up various entertainment media, play games or go... geocaching.

They want apps that inform and engage or that are useful to a task in hand. They want to use vouchers and coupons, enter competitions, browse products, scan barcodes, check reviews, compare prices and even make purchases.

And that's why smartphones and tablets have become such an integral part of users' day to day lives, unchaining them from desks and kiosks, and why mobile devices are driving digital traffic around the world.

Today, 116 million Americans - half the total US mobile population - uses mobile media such as apps and downloads and the mobile Internet. That's a 19% increase on last year, according to comScore.

Nearly 7% of all American Internet traffic now comes from mobile device users, both smartphones and tablets, according to comScore's latest findings. Consumers have become 'digital omnivores' grazing on different digital touchpoints during the course of their day.

"In order to meet the needs of these consumers, advertisers and publishers must learn to navigate this new landscape so they develop cross-platform strategies to effectively engage their audiences," said Mark Donovan, comScore's senior vice president of mobile, said in a statement.

Tags: consumer insight, mobile apps, mobile insights, mobile Internet, mobile market, mobile marketing