65% of millennials look at their smartphone within five minutes of waking

Smartphones have become so pivotal to the lives of millennials in Great Britain that 65% of them are looking at their phone within five minutes of waking and 60% look at their phone within five minutes of going to sleep.*

This is according to comprehensive new IPA TouchPoints 2017 data published today, 15 September, which reveals how the population spends their daily lives and how their use of communications channels and devices fit into this.

In total, the TouchPoints 2017 data shows that 97% of millennials and 81% of adults say they personally use a smartphone, for an increasing myriad of reasons. As well as being their primary means of communication, they are using them for media consumption, gaming, shopping, contactless payments, security access, and more.

Growing smartphone activities of the GB population:

Peak time for using smartphones is between 6.30 and 7.30 in the evening, with 44% of millennials using their mobile phones at this time.

Just under 3 million of adults use our phones as a contactless travel card.
Using the phone to present a ticket for the cinema or theatre, a flight or a train journey is also very popular with nearly 17 million people doing so in the past year.
1.5million adults use their phones to interact with posters or video screens
3.4 million adults have used their smart phone as proof of identity in the past year.
Using the phone to get more information on a product or service as well as using things like QR codes or apps, such as Blippar, is becoming very popular, with nearly 8 million people doing this.
12% of adults and 29% of millennials consume audio via a smartphone
2% of adults and 5% of millennials consume video on a smartphone
Adults spend 12% and millennials 40% of their time consuming media reading newsbrands on a smart phone,

Says Sarah Golding, IPA President and CEO, CHI & Partners: “Consumers’ unbreakable bond with their smartphones means that not only can we use them to quite literally walk and talk, but also to access content anywhere and anytime, essentially rendering them not just a device but a way of life. We cannot, therefore, underestimate the power of these devices from a social, business and brand point of view.”

Says Emerson Bramwell, Head of Insight and Effectiveness, Vizeum UK: “The latest Touchpoints data set shows how the smartphone increasingly owns the lion’s share of our media experience. To keep pace, brands need to think beyond how they simply engage with consumers through mobile, to how they will actively enhance the experience.”

For more information and to subscribe to TouchPoints visit www.ipa.co.uk/touchpoints and join the conversation at #IPATouchPoints