32% of shoppers are looking for better in-store customer service according to a new market research report. The “2017 Holiday Shopping Report” asked consumers their holiday shopping habits, if they would be using their mobile devices during their trip, and how they felt about their overall shopping experience.

Responses were collected from more than 1,000 shoppers at malls across the country using phone charging stations.

Key Takeaways

When shoppers were asked what could have improved their holiday shopping experience, 32% said better customer service. Other responses included cheaper items (22%), more parking (12%), better product selection (10%), and fewer crowds (6%).

Shopping can be hectic this time of year for both the shopper and the retailer. It is essential that retailers make sure their staff is equipped to help shoppers and make their trip more enjoyable.

Despite the call for better customer service, 83% of shoppers felt they had a positive holiday shopping experience, while 11% had nothing positive or negative to say about their shopping trip.

The majority of shoppers (34%) plan on making only one holiday shopping trip this season, while 30% plan on making three or more trips, 21% didn’t plan on making any holiday shopping trips, and 14% plan on making two trips.

Finally, shoppers were asked how likely they were to do the remainder of their holiday shopping in-store rather than online. 75% of shoppers said it was likely, 18% were undecided, and 8% said it was unlikely.

Shoppers will use their phones for a variety of functions this holiday shopping season. Most will use them to enhance their in-store shopping experience – to find store locations (27%), find deals (18%), get or share live updates through social media (14%), compare prices (13%), access coupons (12%), make or refer to shopping lists (8%), and research products online (6%). Very few shoppers (3%) plan to use their mobile devices to make purchases directly on their devices while they are out shopping.

 

 


VIDEO ABOVE: Cell Phone Charging Stations for Bars

If your bar or restaurant does not provide cell phone charging for customers then you are missing out on a lot of benefits. With the growing need for a smartphone without a dead battery, consider getting a charging solution for the following advantages:

Increased retention rate

Customers with a low or dead battery will get anxiety and likely cut their plans short. The last thing you want a customer to do is leave your bar or restaurant simply because you cannot accommodate for their charging needs. By providing phone chargers, you’ll keep customers longer and spending more.

Increased foot traffic

Just the same way customers may leave your venue for a charge, they may also come into your business if you are providing a charging solution. Make it clear by posting signage on the outside (such as window decals) or by putting a message on your website.

Improved loyalty + satisfaction

Customers will feel good about getting their phone charged at your business and they will remember that positive experience for a long time. One of the easiest ways to improve customer satisfaction is to cater to their needs and a phone charging amenity does just that. Having a charging station in your bar or restaurant will benefit your customers greatly. Having your phone die while you are out trying to meet up with peopler even trying to catch a ride home can be impossible with a dead phone.  Restaurants and bars that have a secure place for customers to charge their phones will make everyone a lot less anxious of a low phone battery.

If your bar or restaurant needs a phone charging solution, consider the Veloxity cell phone charging station which provides convenience and custom branding.

cell phone charging stations for bars

You may not be aware of certain practices that could be ruining your phone’s battery life and overall performance. Here are a few that we see more often than we’d like:

1. Charging It With Different Chargers

Do you remember the charger that came with your phone? That’s the one you should be using to charge it. Not that one that came with your friend’s phone that you plugged your charging cable into. Using any charger that isn’t specifically made for your phone can harm your battery since that exact electrical specifications don’t match yours.

2. Leaving the Screen Brightness At 100%

This one should be fairly obvious and there’s not better way to drain your battery life but many people are guilty of this. There’s no set in stone rule regarding what level of brightness you should keep your phone at, but it is safe to assume that you can turn it down below 50% when you are laying down in bed before falling asleep. Leave the maximum brightness for when you are in an extremely bright environment or set your phone to automatically adjust the brightness.

3. Leaving the Device in Direct Sunlight

If you want to ensure that your touchscreen continues to function properly, then it is crucial that you avoid keeping it in direct sunlight for extended periods of time. Your screen is extremely sensitive to light, touch, and temperature. By bombarding it with light and heat you run the risk of literally burning out the screen.

4. Downloading Sketchy Apps From Third Parties

Most people don’t think about it this way, but their phone is really just a powerful miniature computer. Just like any other kind of computer, it is possible to come across viruses, worms, trojans, spyware, adware, etc. These can do anything from completely crashing your device to simply slowing it down to unbearable speeds. To avoid these problems, just ask yourself if an app looks questionable and . You don’t need another brick-stacking game anyway.

5. Water Resistant Does Not Mean Waterproof

You may have seen the commercial with certain celebrities pouring champagne or other liquids on their phone and then answering it without a problem. You could possibly replicate this, but chances are that you will end up with a dead phone. Some of these “water proof” phones are equipped with a hydrophobic layer that repels liquid, but this layer can only do so much. Don’t push it.

6. Charging When It’s Not Needed

Most people have the tendency to charge their phone even if the battery life is well over 50%. Ideally, you want to charge your phone whenever the charge goes below 10%. Occasionally, you want to let the battery completely discharge and then charge it all the way up to help condition the battery and extend it’s life.

Frequent travelers know that at some US airports it sometimes still requires finding a sweet spot or leaning against a window to make a phone call, check email, send a text, use social media and charge your cell phone, or any mobile device.

Cell phone connectivity and charging options at some US airports can be a hassle.

Options for cell phone connectivity and charging at US airports these days can be pretty spotty. Does your airport charge for wireless Internet, or will it let you connect (albeit sometimes at painstakingly slow speeds) for free? For some travelers wishing to log on, choices are limited or costly. For others, the in-air connection will do the trick. And what about that ever-present threat of the dead battery?

If you’re one of the hundreds of millions of passengers who travel through US airports every year, whether you’re a frequent flier or not, you’ve probably had better experiences in some airports than in others. And since airports aren’t just hubs for travel, good cell phone connectivity is a necessity rather than a luxury.

Cell phone connectivity, speed and reliability vary by airport and carrier.

Veloxity wanted to find out what the best airports were for connectivity. Luckily for us, twice every year the awesome people at RootMetrics conduct surveys on the quality of cell phone data speeds and connections at 50 of the busiest airports in the United States.  They put AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon in to the test.

The RootMetrics survey ranked all 50 airports from best to worst to show cell phone connectivity highs and lows.

  1. Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International

Atlanta’s airport tops the charts and clouds for cell phone services.

AT&T ranked the highest in this airport, scoring an incredible composite score of 99.7. Verizon closely followed with a rating of 99.1 with T-Mobile still scoring a decent 98.4. Sprint came in last with a disappointing 91.5.

  1. Cleveland Hopkins International

The second best ranked cell phone service in the US had a slightly different rank of service providers, all still ranking highly.

T-Mobile came in at the top with a score of 99.1, closely followed by Verizon with 97.8. At third was AT&T with 96.7 and Sprint followed closely with 96.3.

In the October 2014 test, Verizon and T-Mobile actually tied for first place.

  1. Southwest Florida International

In at third was Southwest Florida in Fort Myers, FL.

Another few differences as far as service provider scores came in. Verizon was the survey in this case with a score of 99.7 closely followed by AT&T with 99.0. Sprint scored 95.6 and T-Mobile with a poor performance of 89.6.

Fact: AT&T, Verizon & T-Mobiles download scores increased from the previous results while Sprint’s score decreased.

  1. San Jose International

Just missing out on a top three position was San Jose International. The service provider with the highest score was T-Mobile coming in with a score of 99.3, Verizon coming in second with 99.0 and AT&T in third with 96.4.

Sprint came in last with a 92.4.

  1. Dallas Love Field

Coming in at fifth place overall was the Dallas Love Field Airport.

Back in April 2015, both Verizon and AT&T came in very close with a 98.8 to 98.5. Sprint came in third ranking a 96.0 score and T-Mobile, for the second time, came dead last at 90.9.

Conclusion

Many of these airports ranked pretty close together and high showing us that cell connectivity can be excellent in some airports around the U.S. – generally, Verizon and AT&T scored highly across the board. You may want to look out if your on T-Mobile or Sprint in some cases. Even if your not planning any trips to these airports in the near future it is important to know that because of the bad service in most airports your device will die at a fast rate because it is working over time to connect to a server.

So what about device charging options at airports?

That’s where companies like Veloxity always make connections.  Veloxity rents and sells device charging solutions to airports, organizations, events, corporations and venues nationwide.

Durex suggests that smartphones are distracting couples from focusing on their sex lives.

Sometimes no technology is the best technology of all. That’s the message in Durex’s “#Connect” video ad, in which couples are introduced to a new electronic development that could improve their sex lives. The excited lovers wait to find out about the new smartphone app that will spice up the bedroom – only to find out it’s the ‘off’ button.

The spot is quite effective, as it conveys the very real message of social media’s effect on interpersonal relationships. Today most people wake up and check their phones and they refresh their apps one last time before bed, and thats just how it goes. Your partner is often put on the back burner when your mobile device is fully charged. Durex keeps the ad light and funny enough to hold viewers’ attention for the nearly four-minute runtime.

The dialogue is witty and well-delivered, producing several memorable lines. (“You’re kind of cheating on me with Twitter,” “I’m sorry I neglected you for Ebay” and “I bring Facebook to bed with me” are among the highlights.) I also appreciated the diverse casting. Not everyone is a straight white person, and advertisers are always smart to acknowledge that.

The only misfire in the ad is the ending, which gets a bit too lovey-dovey for its own good. The tone of the video has the same tongue-in-cheek vibe the entire time, until the last 30 seconds. The spots gets a bit sappy when we are forced watch the couples gaze into each other’s eyes and/or break down crying.

The Durex’s #Connect campaign is a hit. The video has nearly 40 million views and more than 1,500 comments on YouTube. Clearly, Durex has struck a societal nerve.

While is Durex is changing the way people use tech in the bedroom, Veloxity’s cell phone charging stations are available to keep smartphones and other devices charged up for moments after what goes in the bedroom.

Smartphones have surpassed tablets as the mobile device most used to make mobile transactions.

According to a recent Criteo study, mobile commerce in America is experiencing massive growth rates, with a 10% increase in mobile transactions in the last three months alone. The booming rate of e-commerce growth on the whole is due largely to the view that shoppers are more at ease using their smartphones to order goods than ever before.

The are several reasons for the rise of the smartphone in mobile purchasing. One element is tied to improvements in the mobile versions of websites, as well as the ever-rising popularity of smartphone apps for online retailers like Amazon.

Another major factor is the larger screens of modern smartphones, making it easier for consumers to complete transactions. Also, as tablet sales seem to have hit a glass ceiling, smartphone sales continue to soar ever higher.

In the battle of the brands, the iPad maintained a slight lead at 34% of mobile transactions, with the iPhone at 32.3%, and Android phones at 25.3%. This is dramatically different from one year earlier in Q4 2013, when more than 40% of mobile transactions were on iPad, compared to 32% on iPhone, and just 20% on Android phones.

In Japan and South Korea, mobile transactions now make up the majority of all e-commerce. Within the next year, mobile shopping will account for 33% of electronic transactions in the United States, with a robust 40% mark worldwide.

 

*2017 update* According to Outerbox :

https://www.outerboxdesign.com/web-design-articles/mobile-ecommerce-statistics

 

With the sharp increase in smartphone shopping, there’s yet another source of battery drain on consumers’ mobile devices. Good thing commercial cell phone charging stations are keeping people fully charged.

The tablet craze is losing steam as smartphones take more mobile device market share than tablets in 2014 and 2015.

After nearly five years of growth, the tablet market has officially stalled. According to research firm IDC, tablet sales fell 3.2% year over year in the 2014 holiday quarter, with even bigger drops coming from market leaders Apple and Samsung.

Phones take mobile device market share

The tablet’s biggest problem? The smartphone. The tablet’s older, smaller family member has quietly started doing all of the tablet’s tasks. And in some cases, the smartphone is just flat-out better.

The tablet was the obvious choice for books back in the days of 10-inch tablets and 3.5-inch smartphones,. A iPhone 3GS was conveniently portable, but the petite screen was too small for everyday reading.

The average smartphone screen size has risen from 3.5 to 5.2 inches. Boom! A true game-changer for the smartphone. Sorry tablet.

A larger screen makes everything better. Reading, texting, and Snapchatting all become a better user experience. Not to mention as the market for smartphones expands, so does the level of website optimization for those screen sizes. Pretty pictures look even prettier when properly formatted.

A market mismatch exists today with few hundred million tablet users, but nearly two billion smartphone owners. All the hot games, apps and trendy stuff show up on the phone first, and the tablet (maybe) later. The biggest phones look a lot like small tablets, so many mobile developers are simply upscaling their existing phone apps to fit the tablet’s larger screen.

So much for special tablet apps. Smartphones are taking all the action.

Battery life is an issue. The juice on the average tablet lasts about 10 hours. Smartphone battery life has nearly doubled over the last five years. Thanks to technology like cell phone charging stations, smartphone and tablet users can keep their devices charged on the go.

Everyone is waiting to see what smartphone technology will bring along with the multitude of issues and fads. Stay tuned.

Much like other consumer products, cell phones have an array of statistics based on usage, manufacturer, price, etc. Here’s to some of the most interesting US cell phone statistics and facts:

According to PewResearch, as of February 2014:

Some say, that cell phones have become an epidemic and to a certain extent, that claim is correct. 67% of cell phone owners find themselves checking their phone for messages, alerts, or calls — even when they don’t notice their phone ringing or vibrating.

44% of cell owners have slept with their phone next to their bed to ensure that they didn’t miss any calls, text messages, or other updates during the night. 29% of cell phone users cannot imagine living without their phones.

Originally, cell phones were designed to make phone calls and send the occasional text. But over the years, as cell phones have matured and evolved, owners of cell phones are using them less and less as they were originally intended.

Since the popularity of cell phones has grown, so has the number of manufacturers trying to gain the consumers business. These days, the buyer can pick between big and small phones, expensive and inexpensive phones, and phones with varying performance. Here is a list of the best-selling smartphones in the U.S. as of May 2014:

Top best-selling smartphones in 2015:

  1. Apple iPhone 5s 
  2. Samsung Galaxy S5
  3. Samsung Galaxy S4
  4. Samsung Note 3
  5. Apple iPhone 5c
  6. Apple iPhone 4S

The rate at which one’s cell phone charges is just as important as the battery life itself. Some manufacturers provide large capacity batteries, such as the one on the Motorola Droid Turbo, while other manufacturers allow your phone to charge rapidly either using a unique cell phone charger or built in software. Here is a list of the top 5 fastest charging cell phones in the market today:

Top 5 Fastest Charging Cell Phones

  1. Oppo Find 7
  2. LG G3
  3. Samsung Galaxy S5
  4. Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo
  5. HTC Desire 700

Regardless of the type of phone, there is a good chance that it will fast charge with Veloxity’s cell phone charging station. The charging station comes with secure lockers that accommodate charging for just about 98% of smartphones on the current US market.

It’s a well-known fact that cell phones are dirty objects, but just how dirty are they? Cell phone statistics show that each square inch contains roughly 25,000 germs, making it one of the filthiest things you come in contact with on a daily basis. That’s something to think about the next time you press your face to your phone.

So what objects are actually cleaner than your phone? Surprisingly, toilet seats make the list because they’re usually sanitized often. Watch this cool video to see how an average cell phone’s bacterial count stacks up compared to other household items, as reported by Mashable.

Many people think that just because they are the ones touching their phones and that they don’t come in contact with outside germs. Our phones are pretty much attached to our hands, we take them to the bathroom, the gym and use them while eating dinner. This allows cellphones to collect germs at a rapid rate. A study conducted by Veloxity of 200 Americans in the Boston area further supports this point. Out of 200 cell phone users, only 16 admitted to cleaning their phones on a daily basis. 45 of the 200 samples claim to clean weekly.

Germs and bacteria are notorious for thriving in warm places. Not only does your smartphone generate its own heat, but it also gets help from your own body heat by spending time in your hands. Since most smartphone users rarely clean their devices, it’s no wonder that smartphones are prime breeding grounds for bacteria.

Time to come clean folks. To clean your mobile device, dampen a soft cloth with water or rubbing alcohol and wipe it down. Better yet, use a disposable wipe made specifically for cleaning electronic screens. Use a cotton swab to get the grime and dirt out of small nooks in the phone.   Feel cleaner already?

At Veloxity, we really do care about keeping customers healthy and fully charged.

As an alarm clock, a sleep-cycle tracker, or simply a source of information, mobile phones are used from dawn to dusk; literally from when users begin their day to the moments before they hit the sack. According to a 2012 Time Mobility & Qualcomm poll, about three quarters of mobile users between the ages of 18 to 44 fall asleep with their phones within reach; close to 85 percent of respondents within the same age groups fall asleep with their phones somewhere in their room.

Improve Sleeping Habits

We can infer from this study that it has become psychologically impossible (or at least tremendously difficult) for users of the last three generations to ever be ‘unplugged’, discounting the few hours they actually spend sleeping. Even when they are asleep, users unfortunately aren’t snoozing as deep as they would be if their phones were not within reach. Sleep quality suffers.

“If your phone wakes you up in the morning, it may also be keeping you up at night.”- a study funded by the Mobile Manufacturer’s Forum (a group comprised of the world’s largest phone makers such as Nokia and Motorola) revealed that participants exposed to mobile radiation took longer to fall asleep and spent less time in deep sleep. The study concluded that mobile phone radiation can cause headaches and interrupt sleep patterns vital to the body’s recovery from daily wear and tear. “LED lights like those in phones and computers were ‘typically more disruptive’ than standard electric light bulbs,” as confirmed by Harvard Professor Charles Czeisler. In addition, mobile phone radiation can even trigger headaches, mood swings, and mental dissatisfaction.

We hate to inform you that your routine ‘last look’ at your messages, apps, or the web makes it harder for your mind and body to wind down and induce sleep, rendering you less refreshed the following morning. In turn, this lack of sleep can also lead to mood swings and even obesity and heart disease in the long run. Visual consumption of electronic displays suppresses melatonin levels in the brain- a natural hormone and neurotransmitter that tells our bodies that we’re tired.

As someone who sleeps with my phone in bed,  I know first hand how hard it is to put it down at night. Today people always want to stay connected to the latest gossip and news. I find myself refreshing my apps again and again while I am passing up on much needed sleep. Following the tips listed below I hope to be able to put down my phone and get a better nights sleep!

That said, what are some ways to help you fall asleep and stay asleep longer?

 

These tips will help you get more out of your well-deserved beauty sleep and get more done out of your day- because productivity matters!

Stay Connected, and sleep well. The Veloxity Team