Smartphones are becoming a growing force in the UK retail market but travel companies should not act too quickly, according to a social and consumer trends analyst.
The Trajectory Partnership managing director Paul Flatters said a quarter of the population now owns a smartphone, an increase of 70% in the last 12 months.
Flatters is convinced their importance will grow but warned companies not to get hung up on the iPhone.
“It only makes up 5% of the UK market and was outstripped by BlackBerry in growth terms in the last 12 months,” he said.
He also warned of jumping in too early, adding: “Timing is key. A smartphone app may not have worked last year and may not work today but that doesn’t mean it won’t ever work.
“And it makes sense not to overload. Too much choice overwhelms people, especially as they have 5,000 messages coming at them every day.”
- More from the Travel Convention at travelweekly.co.uk/tc2010