http://www.mobileyouth.org/report more analysis & insights Mobile Operators need to focus on youth to drive smartphone sales

1. MOBILEYOUTH
youth marketing mobile culture since 2001
image (c) Flickr
Youth lead high-end smartphone market
but operators need to change to take
advantage of this opportunity
New data suggests that youth are key to driving smartphone sales.
2013 will be the year the number of mobile phones surpasses the
number of people on the planet. With more than 7 billion phones in
circulation, where will the next mobile operator growth story come from?
The answer lies in renewal and, in particular, customer upgrades to
smartphones driven by youth.

2. MOBILEYOUTH
youth marketing mobile culture since 2001
Youth are key to high end smartphone ownership. Apple’s iPhone is the
most widely owned phone for 18-32yr olds with over 25% owning one
(compared to 21% Samsung, 5% Blackberry and 2% Nokia). 50% of all
Verizon’s iPhone sales are the latest model - iPhone 5.
mobileYouth warns that the perception youth are cheap is just not true
anymore. Youth have the biggest need for the latest handsets and are
willing to pay top dollar for smartphones. These insights are often
overlooked by traditional research that tends to focus on asking youth
focus groups what they want and what are the barriers to ownership.
The most common response from youth are price, features and usability
where mobileYouth research shows, in reality, youth’s needs are very
different.
Operators traditionally overlook youth because they consider youth
strategies as price focused. The 2013 Mobile Youth Report shows that
youth are willing and able to buy at higher price points, if operators take
control of the customer experience and perception of value.
Youth aren’t just a future investment for mobile operators, but they are
valuable today: they buy the most high-end handsets and influence
more family and friends. If mobile can move from viewing youth as being
as a subset of prepaid to viewing them potential market with the highest
need for the newest products, operators can drive both new handset
sales and influence the purchase behaviors of all customers.

3. MOBILEYOUTH
youth marketing mobile culture since 2001
3 Point Key Summary:
1) Mobile operator growth will come from renewal and smartphone
upgrades
2) Youth lead high end smartphone ownership (e.g. iPhones)
3) Operators need to change their perception of youth from low-end
prepaid users to high-end market drivers and influencers to capitalize on
this growth opportunity

4. MOBILEYOUTH
youth marketing mobile culture since 2001
Next Steps
For more information about this market opportunity for mobile operators
http://www.mobileYouthReport.com