2 million, 5 million, 10 million?  It really doesn’t matter. The numbers will be much higher than what was predicted or expected. What am I talking about?  The iPhone 5 of course.  Did you stay up until the wee hours of the morning to pre-order yours?  I hate to admit it, but I did and I am going to receive mine on Friday unlike (apparently millions now) who will not see their pre-order until October. 

So, what’s the big deal and why should I care about another gadget that makes headlines? It’s not just about the gadget. Yes, I could sit here and write about all the new features of the phone and how I am going to love the bigger screen and simply the upgrade from my iPhone 4. But, this is bigger news than what you see or read about. It’s about the unrelenting drive for people to own mobile devices that can do pretty much everything. 

We are shifting from a society that went from desktops to laptops to hand-held devices within a few short years. The technology that drives these devices is getting far more sophisticated and, most importantly, much smaller and exponentially faster. I’m curious how long it will take to start teleportation. I’d really like to see that happen soon, and I believe I will see it in my lifetime.

In the meantime, what does all this mean for me and you as a consumer or a business owner?

As a consumer, it simply means we have access to information at our fingertips. It's much faster than the desktops we used several years ago. The LTE (Long Term Evolution, marketed as 4G LTE) technology for transmitting the information is now considered to be faster than WiFi in some cases. When was the last time you Google’d something on your phone?  When was the last time you played Angry Birds? Have you been on Facebook today or checked your e-mails, sent or received a text message?  Exactly! We have become a mobile society and this is huge for the way business is transacted now and in the future.

As a business owner you really need to pay attention. According to Digby, here are some interesting statistics:

• 64% of smartphone owners are now using their mobile devices to shop online.
   
• 74% of smartphone owners used their devices to get directions and other location-related information as of February 2012 — up from 55% last May.
   
• 54% of people who use their smartphones in stores are looking up other local stores’ pricing, while 53% are looking for online pricing.
   
• 44% of advanced device owners are looking for coupon opportunities on the devices and 17% have already purchased a product via mobile platforms.

I could post many more statistics, but I think I make the point. It is clear that unless you are doing commerce through mobile devices or plan on doing so, you are missing a huge segment of the market.   The trend is clear and it is only going to continue growing. Now is the time to adjust and build out your platform to accommodate mobile business opportunities. 

In the meantime, I am going to go wait by my mailbox for my new iPhone. 

Frank Guzzo is a speaker, trainer and coach at Emerging Sales Success, a sales and marketing consulting company focused on creating and building marketing solutions for businesses. The firm keeps up with trends, filters the noise and helps companies focus on building a strategy that achieves results.  

To learn more or to hire Frank as a speaker for your next event, call  (858) 633-7177.

Posted on WholeFoods Magazine Online, 9/23/2012