Deloitte: 40% of consumers check their phone within 5 minutes of waking up

Now in its sixth year, Deloitte’s 2016 Global Mobile Consumer Survey explores consumer attitudes around mobile technology.

Life’s essentials: Air, water, food, and smartphones

The time it takes for us to pick up our phones in the morning continues to shrink: More than 40 percent of consumers check their phones within five minutes of waking up. As a first thing, we check our IM or text messages (35 percent), followed by emails (22 percent).

Changing device landscape

Smartphone ownership growth has begun to slow down, with only a 7 percent increase this year. This is hardly surprising considering most people already own a smartphone. On the other hand, smart watches tripled their market penetration from 4 percent to 12 percent today, while fitness bands reached 17 percent from last year’s 10 percent.

We just can’t put our devices down

Outside of work, shopping still ranks as the No. 1 activity during which consumers use their phones, with 93 percent reported usage. Spending leisurely time and watching TV follow closely at 90 percent and 89 percent respectively. More than half of consumers (58 percent) report they have used their phones to browse a shopping website or app, and more than a third (38 percent) say they do so at least once a week. Nearly 40 percent say they have used their phones to pay for products.

The IoT market is taking shape

Interest in home-based IoT showed the largest year-over-year increase, jumping 12 percentage points from 53 percent to 65 percent, surpassing interest in wearables. Additionally, willingness to pay has also risen considerably with consumers saying they are willing to pay extra for home monitoring services, and home control.

Consumers are exploring purchasing and plan alternatives

While carriers continue to be the No. 1 choice for smartphone purchases, both in-store and online, manufacturers are gaining share, particularly with the coveted younger age groups. Twenty-five to 34 year olds, who reported buying the highest number of smartphones, are least attached to carriers.

We also see changing preferences when it comes to a mobile operator. The importance of data-centric services has escalated and consumers list the cost of data plans and 4G/LTE availability and/or quality as their top reasons for choosing an operator. Similarly, data plan costs are the No. 1 reason consumers say they would switch operators.