U.S. leads in mobile app usage; Asia wins in mobile Web adoption

In terms of mobile application use, U.S. takes the lead, but China and other Asian countries wins in other types of advanced mobile activities, according to a new study by Forrester.

The study shows that mobile Internet adoption is highest in the Asia-Pacific region –about 50 percent of the population in Japan and metropolitan China do so at least once a month. In countries including U.S., Australia, Sweden, the UK and the Netherlands, the rate is between 28 and 36 percent, and even lower in other countries.

In countries such as India, cost and infrastructure challenges may be the causes of low mobile Internet penetration. However, according to Forrester, low rates in wealthier nations like Germany, Spain, France and Italy are more surprising.

China also had the highest percentage of “SuperConnecteds,” the most sophisticated mobile phone users who access Internet on mobile devices at least weekly and make regular use of multiple advanced mobile services and applications. 52 percent of Chinese mobile users in metro areas are SuperConnecteds, versus 33 percent in U.S., 17 percent in the largest seven European countries, and 11 percent in metro India, Media Post reported.

Asia also leads in mobile social networking, with penetration of 34 percent in China, 28 percent in Japan, and 25 percent in Hong Kong and U.S.

However, U.S. is the leader in using apps, with nine out of 10 mobile users having downloaded one in the last three months, followed by the UK at 66 percent, the Netherlands at 63 percent and France at 62 percent. The EU-7 as a whole stands at 61 percent.

The study finds similarities in mobile commerce on either side of the world. One out of four mobile Web users in U.S. and metro China have researched products on their phones, but only between nine and 16 percent have actually purchased something online in both markets.

The Forrester study were based on separate surveys conducted in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific earlier this year, with 10,802, 22,501 and 11,461 participants, respectively, in each region, Media Post reported.

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