Smartphone Market Starts 2024 With 11 Percent Growth in Q1
According to Canalys’ latest research, worldwide smartphone shipments grew 11% year on year in the first quarter of 2024.
Global study, commissioned by Lenovo, found that close to half (40%) of all SMB employees who participated in the study are dissatisfied with their work environments. As an increasingly mobile workforce shapes employee expectations for access to technology that enables co-working, shared spaces and better work-life balance and integration, SMBs appear to have fallen behind the curve on delivering positive employee experience (EX).
SMBs are key to economic growth, representing over 90% of the business population, 60% to 70% of employment, and 55% of GDP in developed economies. The study, conducted by Forrester Consulting, gathered responses from 813 employees and 803 device buyers from companies with fewer than 1,000 employees globally to evaluate EX trends among SMBs. The markets include the UK, US, France, Italy, Germany, Russia, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
To improve EX, the new study suggests employers actively listen to employee feedback on current work environments. Improving technology use is central, as most employees at SMBs still use desktops as their main device (71%). Additionally, a staggering 74% of employee respondents do not have access to cloud-based tools, nor have the flexibility to choose technologies that are most suited for their tasks.
It will be key for SMB IT decision makers to invest in more mobile and portable device options, such as laptops, smartphones, 2-in-1s, and next-generation smart devices like AR/VR and smart office set-ups, to improve EX. Creating an environment where employees can work remotely and achieve better work-life integration is essential. IT decision makers need to build an effective and feasible device strategy that aligns to employees’ future needs. The research found that a third of buyers (30%) will expand purchases for smart meeting room solutions, which will encourage more collaboration across different locations.
However, SMB IT decision-makers are often faced with difficulties in refreshing workplace technology, with 45% of them claiming that the budget they have is not adequate to cover all their requirements. Other challenges include internal IT teams not being equipped or trained to manage all device issues post-purchase (42%), or not having the adequate information from device vendors (32%), making it difficult to differentiate product offerings.