Next week, Mobile West Africa 2015 conference would be holding in Lagos, Nigeria. Online hotel booking platform Jovago puts the mobile revolution in Africa into perspective
The influx of mobile phone has enhanced ease of access across the world – communication is more easily facilitated as practically everybody is a phone call, email or tweet away. The virtual world is one of full of opportunities, which might not easily be accessible in real life. The penetration of mobile in Africa has been on the rise, largely from the use of feature phones. Now smartphones are becoming more predominant. In fact, it’s predicted that mobile data traffic is expected to have a 20-fold increase by 2019.
The influx of mobile phone has enhanced ease of access across the world – communication is more easily facilitated as practically everybody is a phone call, email or tweet away. The virtual world is one of full of opportunities, which might not easily be accessible in real life. The penetration of mobile in Africa has been on the rise, largely from the use of feature phones. Now smartphones are becoming more predominant. In fact, it’s predicted that mobile data traffic is expected to have a 20-fold increase by 2019.
The 50 percent increase in mobile use across business and leisure travelers makes businesses like Jovago.com accessible across mobile platforms and browsers, easing the process of purchase for customers across continents.
Top 5 Mobile Devices
Apparently Steve Job’s legacy lives on as the iPhone is the favorite device of Jovago’s customers across the Africa! It registered interesting enough the most users. The trusty Blackberry Keyboard series are also handy devices for mobile users, the sleek interface of the Z10 also makes it one of the most-used Blackberry devices! The Samsung Galaxy series also seem to be a hit.
Top 5 Mobile Browsers
Since most affordable mobile devices run the android operating system, the Chrome is the most used mobile browser in Jovago.com as 55 percent of our mobile users have it as their default browser! A close second is the Apple’s Safari which has a steady stream of users. Opera Mini comes in 3rd place. Internet Explorer and the Blackberry browsers are the least used browsers!
Mobile Phone Penetration in Africa
Within four years, smartphones have greatly flooded the markets! In 2011, only three percent of the 500 million mobile phones in circulation were smartphones. Presently, this is expected to more than triple this year! It is predicted that in 2018, the percentage of smartphones used in Africa would reach 33 percent, which would be accompanied with a decline in the use of feature phones.
Mobile Payments in Africa
As expected, many Africans find it difficult to entrust their credit card details to online businesses. More and more, mobile payments are being used in place of the stress of queuing up at a bank to make payments. Kenya, with 68 percent mobile-payment rate, welcomes this phenomenon more than the other states displayed!
Most Expensive Booking
Though the tendency to spend less kicks in when we shop with mobile devices, the most expensive hotel booking made on a mobile device in Africa through Jovago.com was made in Mombasa, Kenya, for US $4500 on New Year’s Eve. Go Kenya!
