As many news outlets have reported over the last few weeks, the major trend in e-commerce this year has come from mobile device use. Over the three-day period encompassing Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday:
- 33% of Thanksgiving Day sales came from mobile devices, as did 52% of online shopping traffic.
- Mobile drove 50% of all Black Friday shopping traffic, up from 40% from last year.
- Mobile sales accounted for 28% of all Black Friday online sales, up from 22% last year.
- 41% of Cyber Monday traffic came from mobile devices, up from 30% in 2013.
- 22% of all Cyber Monday sales came from mobile devices.
- 46% of emails on Cyber Monday were opened on mobile devices.
What do all these numbers mean for the average small to medium-sized business owner? A January 2014 Pew Research Internet Project study found that 90% of North American adults have a cell phone; 58% have a smartphone; 32% have an e-reader; and 42% have a tablet. In the business realm, CompTIA’s 3rd Annual Trends in Enterprise Mobility study released in June found that 70% of companies surveyed had invested some resources in mobility solutions; 76% of those organizations handed out smartphones, while 61% handed out tablets.
Such saturation makes smart management of mobile devices a necessary part of any company’s IT strategy. Gone are the days of, “I’ll look at this when I get back to the office.” Today, everyone wants access to all of their data right now. That level of access can be a little frightening. But, with proper procedures and policies in place, it can also deliver higher productivity and efficiency.
Of course, achieving such levels of management isn’t easy—especially with BYOD (bring your own device) still popular (55% of companies employ this approach, according to CompTIA). Only 30% of those companies had any kind of formal mobility use policy in place, though—and barely 8% could report significant workflow changes as a result of mobile device use.
At CMIT Solutions, we work hard to remain at the forefront of mobility advances. We have drawn up Mobile Device Acceptable Use Policies that set a high bar for your employees, with strict data security settings, usage boundaries, and privacy requirements. And we’re shifting our focus so that we cover all of the devices used by a business’s employees, not just the computers in an office.
We can all agree that mobility isn’t a flashy trend that’s going to disappear anytime soon. CMIT Solutions can help your business avoid the inherent difficulties of mobile device use and management while deploying its cost benefits and productivity enhancements to your advantage. Contact us today if you’d like to navigate this brave new world with a trusted business partner that understands your needs and can keep your business technology running smoothly.