Stats You Should Know
As a businessperson, you may be thinking, “Great, whatever, I love my tablet too, but that doesn’t mean anything for my company.” Oh, how wrong you are. Consider this: 56 million people in the U.S. have a tablet; that’s one-quarter of all Internet users that are surfing the web via a tablet. Which means that if your web design isn’t tablet-compatible, you’re missing out on reaching a whole lot of people. Here are a few more stats you should keep in mind:
- Almost as many men have tablets as women - the gender split is just about equal.
- Most tablet users are between 25 and 44 years old. (P.S. This age range has the largest amount of disposable income.)
- 60% of people who use tablets have an annual income of $75,000 or more.
Most people who have tablets are using them during down time - in bed, before they fall asleep; while killing time in the waiting room at the doctor’s office; as they’re commuting home from work in the evening. During these times, most people aren't checking their business e-mail and catching up on hard news. Instead, they’re browsing the Internet, exploring new websites and, most importantly for you, shopping online.
This means that when your business targets a tablet user, you’re reaching them when they’re on-the-go, something that traditional stores and even many online shops can’t do. Wait, it gets better. Consumers regularly use their tablets to comparison-shop and research products, which means that you can target them while they’re shopping. Oftentimes, that means a purchase is soon to follow.
Attracting Tablet Traffic
Tablet users will come across your website the same way that laptop users will. However, once they’re there, you have to ensure that they stick around. How do you do that? Make sure that you website’s design doesn't get in the way of tablet users viewing the content. Here’s how:
- Your site should be set up to display on both iPads and Android tablets. Many modern website hosts have this as a built-in option.
- Users should be able to choose either portrait or landscape views and easily switch between the two.
- Users shouldn't need to download anything, like extra software or plug-ins, to view your site.
- The text should be legible on a small display so that visitors don’t have to zoom in and then scroll to read the content.
- Leave plenty of space around links. Users will be clicking with their fingertips, and if there’s limited space around links, they won’t be able to easily click where they want to. After a few tries, the visitor could get annoyed and leave your site for good.
Once your website’s interface is set up to effectively target tablet users, it’s time to publish an app. The best tip you can learn is to not publish an app that’s exactly like your website. Consumers should be able to easily shop on your website by Goggling it from their tablet; an app that looks exactly like your site is unnecessary, redundant and misleading. Instead, your business’ app should complement the website. Offer specials deals, real time customer service, forums, etc., via your app - anything that will add to the customer’s experience of your shop.
Daniel Timmons is a professional blogger that provides tips and information on franchise opportunities and investments. He writes for FranchiseExpo.com, the place to find the best franchise opportunities available.
