Hong Kong’s tablet sales grew by 44% in 2012

Here’s how tablets became the “in” thing in multi-tasking.

According to GfK Hong Kong, tablet devices have become one of the fastest growing technologies in recent times, with its retail audit data reflecting heightening adoption rate in the country. Sales of this device have been on the uptrend, hitting 1.9 million units in 2012—over 44 percent more compared to the previous year.

Here’s more:

A separate study by GfK, the iPanel survey, reveals that a key driver for the rise of tablets is the fact that it has become a popular tool for multi-tasking, which appears to be a common behavior among tablet owners.

Tablet usage often complements other forms of media usage, such as when watching TV, as claimed by one in two respondents (49%).
Meanwhile, over two in five use their tablet when they are eating their meals and commuting and about a third, while they are listening to music, or on their cell phone.

“Tablets are most popularly used at home, and usage peaks at night when consumers are using it concurrently while doing some other activities,” highlighted Walter Leung, Managing Director for GfK Hong Kong.

“It is mainly in the evening and later at night when people have time catch up with non-work related activities before heading to bed such as emails, social networking, watching TV or movies, photos and video game, etc.”

However, some activities that have declined in frequency correspondingly after a tablet becomes available include using desktop/laptop computers and video consoles/ devices. Many respondents also said that their consumption of magazines is migrating from printed media to tablets.

In the GfK iPanel survey, owners of tablets, especially those in the 25 - 49 age group agreed that the device has become an important part of their life; frequently used in a myriad of situations.

Two-thirds use their devices multiple times a day, typically for 1 to 3 hours and 70 percent are in agreement that they often use their tablet for more time than they originally intended to. Another 7 in 10 share the same tablet with other people – typically family members.

Among the top 10 activities on tablets, social media comes out tops – followed by e-mail, watching a movie or TV show and uploading/ downloading photos. Playing games and listening to music followed close behind.

“Multi-tasking involving a tablet can be a real benefit to marketers as having a tablet readily at hand allows consumers to easily search for and purchase products seen in TV ads and other media, or download coupons at their convenience,” commented Leung.

“Knowing the usage habits of their target consumer groups, marketers can effectively target their campaigns accordingly to maximize their impact,” he concluded.

Methodology
The GfK iPanel survey was conducted via a population proportionate online survey of Hong Kong residents aged 18 to 65 years old using a quota on gender and age based on the Hong Kong Census 2012. A group of 317 tablet owners completed the survey from 16 - 21 January 2013.