comScore today released the latest figures from the M:Metrics Benchmark Study which reports that photo messaging (MMS) from mobile phones has grown 60 percent in the United States over the past year and 16 percent in Europe, where photo messaging got an earlier start. Interestingly, the stats show that for the US, in both July and August, there is an upswing in the usage of photo messaging, correlating with the warmer months.
“Summer vacations provide the perfect context for photo messaging, as the utility of instantly sharing a holiday moment with loved ones is undeniably compelling,” commented Mark Donovan, senior vice president, comScore Mobile Products. “The cameraphone could replace the postcard as the preferred mode to say ‘wish you were here,’ as even parents and grandparents are snapping and sending photos from their mobile devices.”
In Europe, where photo messaging is more mature, usage rates are more consistent throughout the year, rising only slightly in summer. Instead, usage spikes are much more pronounced during December, as families share Christmas holiday celebrations and send photos from their newly acquired phones.
The age of those using Photo Messaging may also come as a surprise – the M:Metrics Benchmark Study indicates that the photo messaging growth in the U.S. is coming from all age demographic segments, with the fastest growth coming from teens and those older than 35. In the more developed European market, the strongest growth is coming from those aged 55 years and older.
I always find these sorts of studies fascinating, as often they turn up unexpected results – it also says a lot about the quality of user experience delivered in Handset UIs, if those over 55 can send a picture message without hassle – turn the clock back only a few short years and you needed a computer science degree to figure out how to make picture messaging work!
If you want to read the detailed press release, including a bevy of stats in tabular format, you can go here.