Boys are more interested in desktop PCs and game consoles
Girls and boys have rather different preferences when it comes to personal electronic devices, according to March 2013 data from market research company Mintel. The firm reported that in the UK, girls ages 7 to 15 were more likely to own a smartphone than boys in the same age group. Moreover, 45% of these girls said they used their smartphone every day. Just 35% of boys with a smartphone said they were daily users.
Overall, 86% of the children polled had used a smartphone, though not all owned one.
A Mintel spokesman suggested that girls seemed to prefer devices that helped them communicate, while boys sought out gadgets that entertained them. These were often larger, more expensive items such as desktop computers and game consoles. Girls often favored laptops and MP3 players.
Interestingly, this data appears to contradict patterns seen among older consumers in the UK and many other countries. Nielsen reported that in 2012, 67% of UK males ages 16 to 64 were smartphone users, compared to 54% of females. Males also dominated the adult smartphone audience in the US, though by a much smaller margin (55% vs. 52%).
Of course the mobile landscape is changing fast, and smartphones increasingly reach all but the very youngest UK residents. The factors affecting uptake and usage among these younger users will likely differ from those influencing older consumers, and could well produce different behavior patterns.
As a result, advertisers and marketers will also turn their attention to young smartphone owners, using mobile platforms to initiate or extend relationships with brands. Activities of this kind will help to fuel further rises in UK mobile ad spending. eMarketer estimated in November 2012 that ad spending on mobile platforms last year jumped by 120%. In 2013, mobile ad spending will pass $1 billion.
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Check out today’s other articles, “Online, Offline Marketing Budgets Worldwide to Rise in 2013,” “CPG Brands Bridge the Gap Between Ecommerce Shoppers and Buyers,” “China, South Korea Lead World in Mobile Commerce Adoption,” and “Canada's Smallest Businesses Struggle to Get Online.”