‘Smartphone popularity an opportunity for local businesses’

AMMAN — The unprecedented growth in the adoption of smartphones in Jordan represents an opportunity for businesses such as retail and restaurants to increase their clients and revenues, social media and IT experts said Tuesday.

They noted that businesses need to invest in social media campaigns, which will help them reach out to a wider audience and directly interact with clients.

The experts made the remarks at the MediaME Forum 2014 “The Jordan Digital Media Event”, which attracted hundreds of representatives of the social media, marketing, telecom and ICT sectors.

“Smartphone penetration in Jordan stands at 41 per cent and is rising. The increase in usage of smartphones is changing the behaviours of Jordanians and this represents an opportunity for businesses,” Ali Toukan, research manager at Ipsos, said at the event, which concludes on Wednesday.

Toukan added that the second-hand smartphone market has made it possible for Jordanians to own such devices at “very” affordable prices.

The adoption of smartphones in the country has surpassed the usage of laptops, he noted.

“I expect smartphone usage in Jordan to also surpass PCs by the middle of this year.”

Citing a study by Ipsos, Toukan said about 43 per cent of mobile users in Jordan have broadband.

The study showed that eight in 10 smartphone holders in the Kingdom have data subscriptions on their devices.

Businesses need to invest more in mobile advertising which will help increase their revenues, experts said during the event.

In a presentation, Rasha Rteil, regional digital strategist at Mindshare MENA, said it is important that social media campaigns are adapted to address local communities.

Data about mobile users, including their locations and interests, can be effectively utilised by businesses to target a certain segment of clients and increase their customer base, Rteil added.

Participants at the event discussed several issues including the latest digital trends in the Kingdom and the region, and digital content development.

Smartphones in numbers

Smartphone penetration in Jordan stands at 41%.

The majority (78%) of smartphones use Google’s Android operating system.

9% use Nokia’s Symbian operating system, while iOS phones constitute 6%.

7 in 10 iPhone users are residents of Amman.

6% of smartphone users are on Twitter, while 70% are on Facebook.

About 70% of smartphone holders use social networking sites, 71% download applications on their devices.

About 50% of smartphone holders in Jordan are between the ages of 15 and 24.

More than half of iOS and Android users prefer English applications, while 60% of Symbian users prefer Arabic apps.

Symbian users are more likely to be housewives, while Android users are more likely to be students.