A general overview of usage of smartphones and mobile applications by young consumers in Poland, Croatia and Serbia

Abstract

Emergence of smartphones with strong wireless networking capabilities has set the field for foundation of a various mobile commerce services. The improving access to wireless communication technologies is bringing mobile commerce to the focus of marketers and retailers as a new marketing and retail channel in the context of multichannel retailing. Research studies deal with the level of adoption and factors influencing adoption of mobile commerce within various groups of consumers in different markets. However, there is a scarcity of research studies explaining level of mobile commerce adoption in Central and Eastern Europe. The main goals of the paper are to explain the level of adoption in three countries in this region and to describe patterns of usage of smartphones and mobile applications as shopping tools within the population of young consumers in those markets. This paper, based on secondary data, explains the state of the art of smartphone usage in Poland, Croatia and Serbia. Furthermore, based on a primary quantitative survey on student population, the paper brings valuable data on smartphone and mobile application among young customers in mentioned markets. The primary research was conducted on more than 450 examinees in Poland, Croatia and Serbia and in this paper basic descriptive statistical analysis was conducted in order to discuss types of activities and some basics characteristics of young consumers regarding mobile commerce in general.

Keywords

• mobile commerce
• smartphones
• mobile applications
• Central and Eastern Europe
• millenials