The ringing of a household telephone is becoming an echo of the past. Landline telephones are becoming increasingly rare as the surge for mobile phones dominates the communications market. Society’s desire to stay in contact with anyone at any time has produced a population of people refusing to be tied down with landlines.
In a recent study conducted by GfK Mediamark Research, 44 percent of US adults live in households with no landlines. These households rely only on their mobile phones for calls. If you think 44 percent of people without landlines isn’t a staggering number, take a look at the same category only five years ago. At that time, only 26 percent of household relied solely on mobile phones. If we compare that to today’s number, it is a 70 percent increase is just five years.
The dependency on mobile phones has also fueled the fire to increase the capacity of our mobile devices. Today, we want our phones to have the latest updates, best apps, and fastest connections. This is why not only are people turning away from landlines, but we own more smartphones than ever before. The GfK study tells us that 88 percent of Millennials (born 1977 to 1994) and 79 percent of Generation X (born 1965 to 1976) own smartphones. So, what does this mean for people attempting to break into the world of online business and advertising? How can we use this data to increase our marketing productivity?
The number of social network apps present today contribute to a person’s curiosity and availability. An Adweek article found that the average person has over seven social/communication tools on their smartphone. This includes the ability to text, call, email, post, tweet, and more. The article also found that the average person has their phone with them on average 22 hours a day. Analyzing this information tells us that at almost any time of the day a single person has the capability to receive or send information through their smartphone. As online marketers, this is information allows us to remain in constant contact with possible customers. Effectively running a website or social network account allows businesses to inform and connect to customers like never before.
Whether or not a day will come when the household landline becomes a thing of the past – we can only wait and see. Today, however, it’s clear that the once household communication standard is seen in fewer homes every day. The mobile smartphone is taking over the communication world and connects each of us to an ocean of information with a simple touch of the screen. Growing businesses are tapping into this connection with their customers by presenting themselves as mobile-friendly. The death of the landline is opening the eyes of marketers to the needs and demands of their clients.