General conclusion (North America) is that while wireless is pervasive within the home, its use outside remains limited.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Length: 7 pages
North American consumers have realized the value of being untethered at home: 29% of households have a laptop and 11% have a wireless home network. But consumers are only beginning to embrace mobile access outside of the home. Among online consumers who own the requisite equipment a laptop and a wireless home network public wireless access increased from 4% in 2005 to 7% in 2006. These wireless Net users don’t fit the mold of the typical high-performance professional, as they are more likely to be motivated by entertainment than by their career.
Source: Forrester: Interactive Marketing All Forrester Research
This chart shows gives a snippet of background to the research, the categories of people are Forrester’s, taken from their Technographics research. Two groups, Fast Forwards, and Mouse Potatoes use wireless outside the home, and the rest are few and far between.
Note:
- Fast Forwards are high-income, technology optimist, career-driven consumers;
- Mouse Potatoes are high-income, technology optimist, entertainment-motivated consumers.
The research goes on to suggest we are on the verge of growth in outside the home wireless, provided somehow Internet access were available elsewhere using your home account. This is a big “provided”. I just don’t see that happening despite some cities adopting WiMax.
Wireless banking (using telephone as a computer screen) never took off in North America. All the banks have the capability now of sending online banking to your telephone/ blackberry browser, but its just not easy or fast enough yet. So the Banks don’t focus on that application. If it could be done to operate very fast, despite the relatively slow connection, then we may get somewhere.
Relevance to Bankwatch:
Internet use will remain in the home for the foreseeable future. Wireless may yet become the next big idea, but its not on the radar yet (in North America). In Europe its different with the prevalence of SMS, and associated use of telephone as a screen. There the potential is enormous for development of customer loyalty.
Bankwatch 