To Tablet or not to Tablet?

Leading delivery specialist Parcel2Go has stressed that companies in the UK must ensure their online presence is geared to tablets rather than laptops or smartphones. However with the speed of evolution within the tech market meaning this year’s iPad quickly becomes last year’s netbook, should we really be focussing solely on what could end up being a flash in the pan?

Over 3.5 million people in the UK own tablet computers, with Apple having a whopping 73% share of the market. With Samsung, Blackberry and Motorola making increasing inroads into this incredibly profitable market and 2million additional users expected in the next 12 months, it seems that this is one device that is set to explode. For the media and entertainment sectors, delivering cross channel content is in high demand as highlighted by Sky’s recent launch of SkyGo which offers viewers a chance to receive their favourite programming on multiple devices whilst on the move. With other multichannel campaigns such as Channel 5’s use of Facebook voting integration for the latest series of Big Brother, it is clear that the edge of the TV screen has disappeared and programming overlaps onto smartphones and personal computers with equal emphasis.

Despite this, to focus solely on one device would surely be rejecting the move towards multi-screen delivery which the industry has made over the last 5 years. While the tablet is still the hot news, the numbers clearly don’t add up, with 51 million internet users in the UK tablet users make up less than 7% overall. So while it is an increasingly important medium, content owners should see tablets as just one facet of a multi-channel content delivery programme including social media.

Nevertheless, with smartphone and tablet owners demonstrating 63% higher online purchase rates than non-users business do have to pay attention to these valuable routes to market. Offering robust, centralised, multi-channel ready payment services helps to manage customer’s expectations, reduce barriers to purchase and ensure content is delivered swiftly and securely, thereby imperative to successful digital content monetisation in the 21st Century, whether that’s on a tablet or whatever else.