comScore releases inaugural report: The 2010 Mobile Year in Review

The report highlights important components of the mobile market including device trends, smartphone adoption, browser/application usage and mobile content consumption, with a look at how marketers can use the mobile medium in 2011.

"2010 was a game-changing year for the mobile industry," said Mark Donovan, comScore senior vice president of mobile. "Smartphone adoption, 3G penetration and unlimited data plans drove a surge of mobile media consumption across geographies and deepened the integration of mobile devices into everyday life. Moreover, the coming year has the potential to be even more exciting. As the mobile ecosystem continues to develop, including progress in mobile advertising and commerce, it's clear that mobile is destined to become an increasingly important platform for digital marketers across all industries."

To download a complimentary copy of The comScore 2010 Mobile Year in Review, go to www.comscore.com/Press_Events/Presentations_Whitepapers/2011/2010_Mobile_Year_in_Review

Mobile media consumption intensified in 2010

Smartphones aggressively penetrated the mobile market in 2010, driving an escalation in mobile media consumption by subscribers worldwide. Technological innovations enabled an extraordinary number of new capabilities for mobile devices, even expanding the definition of what it means to be 'mobile' through the introduction of tablets, e-readers and other connected devices. As more subscribers access the mobile web in 2011, it will become essential for marketers to reach this rapidly-expanding segment of consumers.

comScore's report provides insight into the year's most important trends. Key findings highlighted in the report include:

• Smartphone adoption accelerated in both the US and Europe. US smartphone adoption reached 27% of mobile subscribers in December 2010, an increase of 10 percentage points from the previous year, while European adoption reached 31%, also up nearly 10 points versus year ago.
  
• Network quality and cost of monthly plan were the top 2 purchase consideration factors for mobile subscribers in the US and UK.
  
• Nokia was the top OEM in the UK, Germany, Italy and Spain. Samsung took the top spot in the US and France, and also ranked in the top three in the UK, Germany, Italy and Spain.
  
• 36% of mobile Americans and 29% of Europeans browsed the mobile web in December 2010, with access through an application reaching 34% of Americans and 28% of Europeans. Across regions, mobile browsing and application usage is growing in the range of 7-9 percentage points per year.
  
• More than 75% of mobile subscribers in Japan are connected media users (used their browser, accessed applications or downloaded content) far surpassing the US and European countries in this regard. Japan also saw nearly 10% of its mobile audience make a purchase with their mobile wallet in December 2010.
  
• Over the past year the number of mobile users that accessed a social networking site at least once a month via their mobile device increased by 56% to nearly 58 million users in the US. Even stronger growth occurred in Europe, with a 75% increase in the number of users over the last year to 42 million in December 2010.

comScore mobile experts will be presenting insights from the report via live webinar. Please see below for session dates and geographic focuses.