The China Market Becomes More Mobile-Oriented in 2016

China internet use is quickly catching up with the USA, with Chinese consumers owning an average of 4.1 internet connected devices each, compared to 4.9 in America. And in some ways, Asia has usurped the states: 92% of Chinese internet users own a smart phone, compared to 72% in the USA. The final quarter of 2015 saw the Chinese smartphone market grow by 8%, the equivalent of over 117 million devices. So what does the market growth tell us about mobile market in China? A rapidly evolving market!

Most tech companies in the mobile market in China — such as e-commerce company Alibaba Group and social network giant Tencent — have tapped into the financial service industry. Not only do these organizations sell financial products from traditional banking institutions through their mobile platforms, but they have also created a variety of online-only financial products. On Chinese mobile finance apps, it takes only a few clicks for users to sign up or make purchases, in contrast to the complicated, time-consuming application process used by traditional financial institutions. By offering users financial convenience, the country’s tech giants, with their hundreds of millions of customers, have successfully converted a considerable portion of their users into financial service customers.

The average Chinese company is now investing heavily in mobile marketing, According to a study by the Mobile Marketing Association, the most common mobile marketing method in China is to use a Chinese website optimized for mobile experience (58% of respondents). Having a mobile optimized Chinese website allows users to easily find and access important content and navigate to key areas. Considering more people in China access the internet via a mobile device than do a desktop PC, making sure you have a Chinese mobile website to cater to their requirements. It is no longer an option, but a must have.

Following closely behind Chinese websites (at 56%) are mobile applications. Marketing on mobile apps is important, with 25% of respondents according to a survey by Forrester, claiming to use their mobile phones to shop on a weekly basis, and a further 15% doing so daily. In total 71% of smartphone users have made a purchase from a website using their device. Chinese consumers are more open to mobile advertising

78% of Chinese mobile users are happy to view an ad that contains content relevant to them. In the UK, where mobile advertising is often seen as intrusive, only 33% of mobile users would click a relevant advert. Only 7% of Chinese smartphone users do not want to be targeted by mobile ads, and nearly half are happy to be targeted daily. The most popular formats for mobile advertising currently used are video (used by 36% of companies) and mobile coupons (33%). 29% of companies believe that the best time to advertise to smartphone users is during the morning commute, while 24% schedule their adverts for the weekend.