The news about smartphone penetration continues to be incredible.  Adoption rates continue to climb and more importantly, your key customer targets, people between the ages of 18-44 are using smartphones more than ever.  The question for your business is what are you doing to reach your customers and prospects?

Nielsen’s third quarter survey of mobile users reveals that while only 43 percent of all US mobile phone subscribers own a smartphone, a mobile phone with a powerful operating system, the vast majority of those under the age of 44 now have smartphones. In fact 62 percent of mobile adults aged 25-34 report owning smartphones. And among those 18-24 and 35-44 years old the smartphone penetration rate is hovering near 54 percent.

As a smartphone owner, my behavior has become more and more mobile and my tolerance for non-mobile sites is near zero.  Using a browser on a mobile device?  How bad is that?  Have you downloaded an app?  Well 30 million apps are downloaded worldwide every day.  What are you waiting for?

40 percent of 45-54 year-olds reported owning a smartphone, as opposed to a more basic feature phone.  The segment with the second fastest-growing smartphone penetration rate is those aged 55-64. Smartphone penetration among this older group is only 30 percent, but it jumped 5 percent this quarter.  The baby boomers also are going mobile.

Your ability to connect and stay relevant to your customers and prospects is changing rapidly.  Are you keeping up?