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Gartner report makes interesting projections about mobiles and PCs

BUSINESSES need to ensure that they’re always in the know when it comes to understanding their users in the digital age. This means, they’ve got to learn about the tastes and preferences of their users, how they access their digital touchpoints, and the devices they use to interact with the company. It’s what helps tailor the experience, which is slowly becoming the most important part of a customer-first digital strategy.

In terms of the devices of the future, Gartner has some very interesting insights that might have a huge impact on how brands tailor their digital experience.

According to forecasts, worldwide device shipments will increase 2.1 percent in 2018, growing from 2.28 billion units in 2017 to 2.32 billion units this year. The report suggests that the growth will be driven by two segments – the mobile phone market and the premium ultra-mobile market.

“Consumers have many technologies to choose from, which poses two main challenges for vendors. The first is to compete for wallet share, given how many devices consumers own. The second is to deliver value and maintain relevance — to offer the right device to the right audience,” said Ranjit Atwal, research director at Gartner.

“We will see more buyers focusing on value, rather than just price, and therefore considering higher-priced devices,” added Atwal.

When it comes to traditional PCs. sales are expected to decline by 5.4 percent in 2018, with notebooks showing the steepest decline (6.8 percent). The premium ultra-mobile market will be the only PC segment that, according to Gartner forecasts, will grow this year.

Gartner is of the opinion that mobile phone shipments will increase by 2.6 percent in 2018 and reach a total of 1.9 billion units. Smartphone sales are expected to grow by 6.2 percent and will represent 87 percent of mobile phone sales.

For business owners, this signals a greater focus on mobile commerce in the coming months, with better user experiences, smarter interfaces, and a more seamless and holistic experience across devices.

Gartner also feels that smartphone sales this year will be dominated by vendors who focus on delivering ‘compelling personalized experiences’ via on-device (AI), virtual personal assistants. and more natural user interfaces. Those that offer bio-metrics and other enhancements to display and camera features will also catch the attention of users.

It also predicts that by 2021, 9 percent of all smartphones sold will support 5G.

These are important trends for business users to keep in mind, while adopting new technologies for their business and developing their e-commerce model to survive in the future.