Survey: The B2B sectors that are quickly adopting mobile

Speaking of industries, the survey found that construction, foodservice, manufacturing, professional services and retail were the five industries in which the innovative use of mobile devices had the most potential to transform business. Here’s how these industries are using mobile:

1. Retail: 67 percent were using mobile to enable consumers to buy products; 50 percent used it to help consumers access information about products. There’s room for opportunity, with just 16 percent having a mobile app.

2. Professional services: The top uses for mobile devices and apps were enabling communication with customers, accessing information about the company, allowing customers to execute a service. There’s room for growth: Just 29 percent used mobile apps to automate processes.

3. Construction: These companies primarily use mobile to help consumers access information about their companies, and to improve communication between the main office and employees in the field. Room for growth: About one-fourth used mobile to help customers execute a service that used to be more complex.

4. Foodservice: Half of these companies reported some employees had already replaced computers with mobile devices, and an additional one-fourth expected this to happen in the next two years. Room for growth: With this the single industry most rapidly adopting mobile, there are still many ways mobile can improve the customer experience.

5. Manufacturing: These companies primarily use mobile to improve communication with customers and among employees. Mobile enables them to be more responsive, providing quotes quickly and collaborating with team members.

SUMMARY: Mobility is increasingly important to business-to-business sales as the laptop and desktop fade, Rieva Lesonsky writes. More than 1 in 3 ITs say mobile has replaced those other computers entirely for some employees, according to a CDW Small Business Mobility report. The construction, food service, manufacturing, professional services and retail sectors are using mobile most, according to the survey.

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