Top 10 consumer trends for 2013: Ericsson

BANGALORE, INDIA: As 2012 draws to a close, Ericsson ConsumerLab has identified the hottest consumer trends for 2013 and beyond. For more than 15 years, ConsumerLab has conducted research into people's values, behavior and ways of using ICT products and services.

Fredrik Jejdling, headof region, Ericsson India, said, "India is moving towards data services. This transformation is very similar to other parts of the world. Indian consumers' smartphone and tablet purchase intent has increased and is now exceeding that for desktop PCs and laptops, faster than ever. Clearly, as we are moving towards a Networked Society in India, connectivity through Mobile Broadband access will play a big role."

Here are the 10 hottest consumer trends:

1. Cloud reliance reshapes device needs. More than 50 per cent of tablet users and well above 40 per cent of smartphone users in USA, Japan, Australia and Sweden appreciate the improved simplicity of having the same apps and data seamlessly available through the cloud on multiple devices.

2. Computing for a scattered mind. From desktops, files and folders to flat surfaces, apps and cloud services, consumers are increasingly turning their backs on a computing paradigm for the focused mind. Tasks are handled at the spur of the moment - as we stand in a shopping line or talk to someone at a café. Purchase intent is higher for tablets compared to desktop PCs, and for smartphones compared to laptops.

3. Bring your own broadband to work. 57 per cent of smartphone users use their personal smartphone subscriptions at work. In order to remain in the loop, people bring their own smartphones with their personal smartphone subscriptions to work. Personal smartphones are increasingly being used for work, to send emails, plan business trips, find locations and more.

4. City-dwellers go relentlessly mobile. By relentlessly accessing the internet always and everywhere, consumers are now an unstoppable force making internet truly mobile. Total smartphone subscriptions will reach 3.3 billion by 2018 and mobile network coverage is one of the most important drivers of satisfaction for city life - with total satisfaction levels peaking at 85 per cent in Delhi.

5. Personal social security networks. As a result of economic turbulence, trust in traditional structures and authorities is decreasing and consumers increasingly trust their personal communities. Personal networks online serve as a safety net and social media is shaping up to be a serious contender to the traditional job agency.

6. Women drive smartphone market. New figures clearly show that women drive mass market smartphone adoption. 97 per cent of female smartphone owners use SMS. 77 per cent send/receive photos, 59 per cent use social networking, 24 per cent check in at locations and 17 per cent redeem coupons. Men are lower in these areas.

7. Cities become hubs for social creativity. City center dwellers have significantly more friends online than people in suburban areas. 12 per cent of people that live in cities say that the main reason for using social networks is to connect and exchange ideas with others, making it the third most common reason for social networking after staying up-to-date with friends and keeping them updated.

8. In-line shopping. 32 per cent of smartphone users already shop with smartphones; they now start to combine in-store and online shopping aspects. They want to see products, get information and make price comparisons, and get purchases immediately without having to queue up at the cash register.

9. TV goes social. 62 per cent use social media while watching video and TV - and 42 per cent of this subgroup discuss things they currently watch on a weekly basis. Over 30 per cent are more likely to pay for content watched in social contexts. The majority of video and TV consumption on mobile devices takes place in the home.

10. Learning in transformation. Learning is transformed through both internal and external forces: Young people bring their personal technology experience into the classroom, driving a bottom-up pressure for change. Simultaneously governments and institutions look for new ICT solutions in order to be more efficient. Connectivity changes the outlook for children on a global scale. In India, around 30 million of 69 million urban children aged 9 to 18 own mobile phones.