How do they rank against each other? Over the past several years CEM4Mobile Solutions, the provider of innovative Customer Experience Management (CEM) solutions and services for Mobile Operators and Service Providers, has been monitoring different trends in the mobile market. This time we analysed the flagship smartphone products from Nokia, Apple and Samsung. How equally these ‘ecosystem drivers’ engage their owners in content services?

The research included sample data from 1 December 2011 to 19 February 2012 comprising 24.9 million transactions from 1.8 million users who executed 8.4 million visits with mobile optimised services in the Nordic countries.

We wanted particularly to understand how equally the devices and their operating systems, Windows Phone, Android and iOS, are engaging their users. We selected the following Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) which all enlighten engagement from different angles:

• Return Rate: the average amount of times user has returned to the service
• Click Depth: average amount of page views generated within a visit
• Bounce Rate: percentage of visitors who entered the site and left immediately
• Average visit length: averageamount of time visitors spent on the site per/ visit

In addition we analysed usage patterns on WiFi versus mobile data usage and possible differences how well the devices are encouraging their owners to access the services through multiple access channels namely WiFi, Internet APN and WAP Gateway.

The Results

Are highlighted in the following table with the best engagement values in bold and underlined:

Source: CEM4Mobile Solutions Ltd

Based on the KPIs the fiercely competing devices reach the following positions on the engagement podium:

Source: CEM4Mobile Solutions Ltd

Some Conclusions

Results are awesome and encouraging for Nokia. Lumia took the first positions on all the other than the Return Rate where Samsung was able to reach the pole position. Galaxy users are the most loyal towards to the services and returned in average more than 7 times in the analysed ten weeks period.

Results for Apple were surprisingly lame across all the KPIs. In the light of this survey the flagship products from other vendors have been able to bypass iPhone in terms of service engagement. This may have something to do with the fact that Apple decided to postpone the iPhone 5 launch from 2011.

Lumia users possess the greatest in-service figures, where the Lumia users consumed the highest amount of pages within a visit (3,67) and spent the longest time in the service.

iPhone users are the most aggressive WiFi connection users with total of 65% of users visiting services through wireless hotspots. Lumia is likely to please mobile operators because the users seem to use considerably more mobile network as the access point (57%) compared to iPhone (35%) and Galaxy (51%) users.

This survey didn’t seek to measure market shares but the transaction figures show that iPhone is a very popular handset in the Nordic countries. Lumia was released to the market just in December and in the light of the transactions the take up has been good.

Transactions from the mobile applications were not included to this survey because there was not yet statistically sufficient sample available from Windows applications. From the device engagement point of view things look encouraging for Nokia but as highlighted in our earlier research found at: (http://www.cem4mobile.com/blog/posts/key-mobile-market-trends-ii-mobile-apps-vs-mobile-browsing/) mobile applications produce a higher service loyalty than mobile browsing and thus it is crucial for Nokia to get enough appealing applications available to the Windows Marketplace and to the end-users handsets.

Some of the first above category actions will include fine tuning processes in customer service functions in order to improve service delivery, first call resolution in call centers, retail device sales etc. The second category revolves more around ways to eliminate customer complaints altogether. The consensus seems to be that we need to improve the ability to really measure customer experience as it happens (when the interaction takes place), all the way from the mobile device at the end of a wireless connection to the application or service, wherever in the Internet (or other) cloud that may be.

Current QoE Monitoring Methods

Today e2e QoE (Quality of Experience) measurement and reporting can be (and is) done in a variety of ways. Methods from usage-recording clients in the device to CDR analysis (Call Detail Record) to network performance analysis as well as mobile analytics are used. Another very important aspect of really understanding users is also the ability to effectively collect opinions and values (perceived quality). A major challenge with opinions is still how to present this subjective information in a business relevant way, and also, how to compare yesterday’s information with today’s to be able to see trends and understand development. Is a “bad” experience today the same as it was last week? This could depend (with most of us) on how well we have slept or how things are at home or the office in general etc.

Being able to report relevant information about service usage, user behaviour and opinions is good, but we are still just looking back at events that have already occurred and all we can do is try to analyze the data and try to not repeat our mistakes. Useful? Yes, but not ideal.

The Future: Real-Time Analytics for End-2-End QoE Monitoring

The latest in CEM solution development is coming to the rescue though. Even with today’s high-speed mobile data networks, we now have the ability to take mobile analytics and CEM to the next level, where we monitor not just network performance but actual QoE in real-time. So, mobile analytics goes real-time. What does that mean to the CEM process?

It means for instance, that we can detect and record degradation in quality of experience with specific user-service combinations over given time periods, even when the NW-management system may tell us that all systems are green. Because of the real-time element, we can now the follow the event with an immediate action such as generating alarms, increase in bandwidth or reporting proactively to call centers about potential incoming complaints. The use cases with real-time analytics are endless, and will provide real tools to start focusing on service-user interaction rather than being limited to resolving problems that have already occurred. Personally, I am looking forward to taking on the challenges of adding some real speed to the game.

The product extension will be released in Barcelona on February 27th and available for full scale commercial deployments by the third quarter of 2012.

In today’s Network Economy—a world that now depends and runs on networks—accurate visibility and precise tracking of data crossing networks have become crucial to the availability, performance and security of applications and services. The growing complexity of IP transactions, the explosion of mobile applications, and the mainstream adoption of cloud computing surpass the capabilities of conventional tools to improve how networks operate, expand services, and cope with cybersecurity. Just like Business Intelligence solutions emerged to unlock information hidden in the enterprise, Network Intelligence technology is an emerging category of technology to reveal the critical details of the data locked inside network traffic and transactions.

The NI Data Value Chain provides real-time visibility into data across networks. NI members develop, integrate or apply Network Intelligence. The goal of NI is to optimize data transport, secure data during transport, track data for regulatory and business purposes, and monetize data through new service offerings. Network solution requirements can vary greatly between organizations but a few common use cases may include:

• Billing & Charging
• Cyber Security
• Market Research
• Financial Transaction Monitoring
• Lawful Interception
• Service Assurance (ie. QoS & QoE)
• Traffic Optimization

“We’re delighted to join the NI Alliance,” said Janne Aalto, CEO of CEM4Mobile Solutions. “The mobile services market has witnessed phenomenal growth and is changing the nature of the mobile industry. Gaining insight into the behaviour of wireless users in this environment is not easy and yet more business critical than ever. By co-operating with other Alliance members, we can ensure that our customers benefit from world-class technology, leading innovation and unmatched accuracy of the data provided”.

“CEM4Mobile Solutions is a valuable addition to the NI Alliance and we welcome their participation,” said Erik Larsson, Chairman of the NI Alliance. “The NI Alliance is about collaborative innovation with companies like CEM4Mobile Solutions who plays a leadership role in mobile analytics-driven Customer Experience Management. Working with other NI Alliance members, CEM4Mobile Solution’s customers will be able to more effectively leverage Network Intelligence to better manage, protect and profit from their data networks.”

It’s hardly news that web access is increasingly moving to mobile devices. Yet the speed of the move from desktop to mobile access is quite astonishing. Website TechCrunch published some figures earlier this year which put claimed that 14% of all visitors to their site arrived on a mobile device. While 14% might not sound like a lot, we should bear in mind that this represents a staggering 702% increase on the figure from a year before.

The move to mobile access is happening with even greater urgency in social media and the internet is full of statistics to show the speed of adoption of social media by mobile users. Twitter’s CEO recently claimed that 40% of all tweets were now being composed on a mobile device: that’s over double the number for 2010. Facebook’s figures tell a similar tale. According to data recently released by the social media giant, over 350 million people access Facebook from a mobile device every month and it stands apart as the single most accessed mobile destination in the UK. Our own statistics, taken from the CEM4Mobile platform show us that, for mobile users, social media apps are accessed around 20 times per month on average.

Everywhere you look, statistics point to the increasingly close relationship between social media and the mobile web. Yet perhaps the most notable thing about this incredibly rapid adoption is that it signals a process that has barely begun. If we look at forecasts we can see that even the most conservative predictions talk of a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20%. According to ABI research this will put us in a place in 5 years time where at least 1.7 billion people use the mobile web as their main platform for interacting with social media.

What all this suggests is that brands need to support their social media efforts with a well planned mobile social media strategy.  This means developing content that’s designed and tested specifically for mobile users. The problem here is that most companies (80% according to some reports) aren’t equipped to properly plan and test content across mobile devices. There are numerous social analytics platforms and providers available on the market, yet by and large they lack the detail and insight that a dedicated mobile analytics platform provides.

As companies increasingly shift their customer relationship focus to social media, they also (perhaps unwittingly) shift it to the mobile channel. As mobile web adoption grows it becomes increasingly important to be able to access granular detail about a user’s mobile habits. This includes the standard metrics such as time on app, page views and so on but also extends to identifying unique users with their online nicknames. And, it means that businesses need to consider how to integrate their web presence with social media platforms.

Traffic that originates from social media platforms needs to be analysed in order to determine the effectiveness of social media marketing campaigns. Businesses can initiate campaigns and activity from social media sites and then use mobile analytics solutions to determine the success of such programmes as traffic reaches their site.

A coherent and integrated social media presence means a “mobil-ized” social media strategy and a suitable mechanism for monitoring activity – otherwise, investment will be wasted and opportunities lost. As more and more companies incorporate social media marketing into their promotional campaigns, it will become increasingly competitive. To maintain an edge, companies require insight into where traditional desktop and mobile interaction differ so that they can optimise for these very different channels. Monitoring social media activity increasingly means monitoring mobile social media activity and that’s going to be a major problem for companies who rely on traditional web analytics solutions.

The previous research was carried out earlier this year. The research included data from week 4 / 2010 to week 5 / 2011 by using a sample based on 97 million mobile transaction page loads from Nordic mobile services. The research analyzed actual mobile traffic collected by CEM4Mobile analytics. The analysis was done and published because reliable market data is essential for companies developing and distributing mobile services. Further to this, the insight shed light on how different mobile platforms encourage people to use mobile services.

Back in February, we predicted that Android will become the market leader in the Nordic countries. We also forecasted Android to overtake Symbian in August 2011, and it did for couple of weeks, but Nokia has managed to resist the decline in its market shares with new handset releases and improved versions of Symbian. Nevertheless, iOS has managed to obtain the lead position particularly due to the platform’s high popularity in Denmark and Sweden leaving Android and Symbian at even market shares in September. However, all operating systems are in the same ballpark having 28-33% of the market share.

Through all of the competition, Android has shown in the last five months a strong average market share change increase of 6.16% per month. This combined with Apple iOS’s slight drop of -1.46% and Symbian’s drop of -1.70% per month suggest that it won’t be too long before Android climbs to the top position.

The changes in operating system market shares

This update was based on 21 million transaction sample of mobile browsing services page loads from May to September 2011 from Nordic countries. The research revealed that the operating system market shares have evolved during the last months as follows:

Table 1. Mobile Operating System Market Shares from Scandinavian Mobile Browsing Services (Source: CEM4Moible Solutions Ltd. 2011)

The results are showing all platforms are continuing to lose market share to Android which is showing steady strong growth on mobile services. Despite the trend, Apple iOS still had a 4% lead on the other platforms as of September. The graph attached and the article in our blog at http://www.cem4mobile.com/blog/ depicts the same values visually over the 5 month period. It remains to be seen how much the unfortunate recent loss of Apple’s founder Steve Jobs will impact Apple’s performance, how much the recent patent disputes will slow down the adoption of Android and at which point Nokia’s and Microsoft’s effort on Windows Phone 7 start impacting the trends.

Forecast: Android to overtake Symbian in October and Apple iOS in December 2011

The forecast was made based on the trend in page loads over the past 5 months from May to August 2011. The average percentage changes for this period were as follows:

Table 2. Mobile Operating System Market Shares Average % change from Scandinavian Mobile Browsing Services (Source: CEM4Moible Solutions Ltd. 2011)

If this trend continues unchanged, Android looks set to overtake Symbian again in October 2011 and Apple iOS by the end of December 2011. Without any major movements in the OS market, Android will continue to grow towards our forecast of nearly 38% of the market by the end of Q1 / 2012. Figure 1 below depicts the current situation of the market shares and Figure 2 depicts the future predictions from October 2011 to April 2012.

Figure 1: May to September 2011 Monthly distribution of mobile operating system market shares

Figure 2: Forecast change in market share of mobile operating systems between October/2011 and April/2012