Guest written by: Vineet Singla, General Manager of New Business and Director Product for Classifieds, Dubizzle

With mobile phone usage growing continuously in recent years, businesses have had to quickly respond to the burgeoning demand of products and services on portable devices. In fact, 81% of the UAE’s population are mobile phone users, and 40% made purchases via mobile in January 2016 (according to We Are Social), demonstrating that user behavior is ever-changing and we are now in the age of mobile technology and innovation. For example, use of multiple screens simultaneously is fast becoming a trend, with people often checking their phones while working on their laptops.

Here are a few reasons why you should also take the plunge into the mobile space:

1. Mobile gives us the freedom and flexibility to manage our lives on the go, wherever and whenever we want it. The promise of mobile is fast, instant access to information, high utility and easy completion of tasks without sitting behind a desk. 130% of UAE’s population have active 3G and 4G mobile broadband internet connections compared to the total population, according to We Are Social.

2. Mobile personalizes our experience by taking advantage of device capabilities. Mobile apps act as our personal assistants, helping us signup quickly, remembering our preferences, recommending content by matching it to our desires, and doing the heavy lifting on our behalf.

3. The technology makes it easy to entertain, socialize, learn, travel and trade. We increasingly depend on apps to manage our lives through frequent short bursts of activity throughout the day. We offload mundane tasks to intelligent bots that respond to our instructions with human-like conversation. Messaging apps allow us to interact seamlessly using short videos, emojis and animations. We can buy goods online and make payments simply by pointing our phones. For many of us, mobile is the only channel to get online and discover deals properly.

4. Mobile app technology keeps our personal information safe behind the protection of fingerprint scans, passwords and data encryption. Information privacy and fast access removes the burden of constantly keeping track of personal data.

5. Familiarity on a mobile app allows people to return to that technology often as it makes buying and selling easier and more comfortable. Why familiar? Because familiarity increases knowledge. The more you know about something, the easier it is for you to know it’s worth. This is extremely relevant for pre-owned goods, property and cars where information asymmetry between the buyer and seller can reduce trust. More trade leads to more trust and more engaged users.

6. We have found that mobile allows for extending future relationship with customers every step of the way so they keep coming back for more.

7. Last but not least, mobile is not only shaping our future in business, but it is also helping us make the world more sustainable, reduce waste and the appetite for planet’s natural resources.

Given that the mobile landscape is constantly evolving, it is vital that brands invest in regular upgrades by taking current trends into account.