One in three online consumers will buy a tablet by 2014. More than 60% of 25-34 year olds own a smartphone these days. With these facts in place, the connected consumer is truly one of the best subjects for analysis. A recent survey by Zmags uncovers the digital habits of this connected consumer who is always on the go.

What do you prefer - Mobile site or Mobile app?

The survey reveals that only about 4% of these consumers use branded apps, while 87% prefer using websites and mobile sites. This obviously is a good sign for the tablet commerce industry, with users using tablet-optimized sites like Amazon.com on their devices. What is interesting to note is that this connected consumer is not just restricted to the 25-34 years age fold, but extends to individuals in their forties as well.

The dominance of Facebook is also evident, since the survey shows that more than 75% connected consumers are also active on Facebook. However, Facebook is not going to function as a mall, even with 50% consumers logged in on their Facebook accounts while shopping online and are engaged with brands’ fan pages. Social commerce websites like Fab.com are doing well, attracted a more design-oriented audience.

The survey also shows that 87% connected consumers till prefer using their PCs or laptops to browse websites. More and more consumers also use their tablets to shop or visit mobile sites on their smartphones. 43% consumers own a smartphone and 16% own a tablet, yet prefer a regular website to a smartphone app for shopping. Women comprise 52% of connected consumers, with a household income of $63,000 and mean age 40.

Facebook is also a medium to shop for about 34% connected consumers with tablets although the total share of consumers visiting a website from their tablet is just 9%.

Zmags’ survey is based on a small sample size, about 1500 people in the United States, and does not mention their age, gender or location, but the statistics given by Zmags are rather informative and intriguing.

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