Lightspeed Research reveals app preferences for tablet, smartphone users

The contrast between how tablets and smartphones are used is evident from Lightspeed's research. They found that smartphone users are more likely to use their device for fun activities such as social networking while tablet users are more likely to use their device for business and more functional uses.

Social apps such as Facebook are used most frequently by smartphone owners with almost three quarters (73%) accessing social networks through apps daily and 19% at least weekly.

By contrast, tablet owners are more likely to use functional apps such as business apps (63%) or finance / banking apps (56%) daily rather than social networking apps (32%).

"It is clear that smartphone and tablet users are multi-taskers, with many using their devices to browse the web and update social networks whilst taking part in other activities, like watching TV," said Ralph Risk, Lightspeed Marketing's marketing director (Europe). "But with the different content usage and take-up rates on smartphones compared to tablets, brands and marketers need to ensure that they are providing apps that meet the different needs of consumers when using those two devices, be that business, gaming or social."

Smartphone users are still willing to pay for apps with 48% of all smartphone users reporting a mixture of both paid-for and free apps. However, iPhone users were found to be significantly more likely to have a mixture of paid-for and free apps than Android users (71% v 35%).

Tablet users spend more on apps than smartphone users, says Lightspeed. Almost 20% had spent a sizeable $48.40 or more on apps in the past six months. However, the majority of both smartphone and tablet owners that use paid-for apps have never paid more than $4.80 for a single app. One in ten has paid more than $8 for a single app.

Tags: mobile apps, mobile marketing, smartphone, tablet, user insight