Over the last 10-15 years, big data has been used to unlock new business value in a variety of ways. Whether it’s the ability to make better-informed decisions, uncover hidden insights or automate new business processes, data has become a crucial element in business decision-making today.

Today’s world of analytics is difficult to navigate without a detailed knowledge of user devices. This is due to the fact that users access websites on many device types in varying contexts. With mobile and tablet internet usage surpassing desktop for the first time in 2014, businesses need to put the necessary resources into developing a mobile-first approach and support the new customer journey on mobile devices.

Device-specific data

The rise of mobile has brought with it a different level of complexity when it comes to optimization.

• Businesses must now take into account the data connection speeds of a visiting device and this can vary dramatically by location and carrier
• There is a huge diversity of devices, from low-end feature phones to high-end smartphones with browsers meeting the most recent standard
• Of all the properties associated with a device, arguably screen sizes and screen resolutions are the biggest concern today, especially as people use smartphones in such a different way than they use a tablet

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to device properties. For example, DeviceAtlas provides intelligence on 174 properties related to a device, including device model, year released, touch screen, OS name and version, all of which can be analyzed from business intelligence and user behavior standpoints.

The myriad of devices necessitates that businesses have a fine-grained view of user devices and their characteristics in order to support decisions around content/ads served for example. This can significantly improve reach on mobile, conversion rates and ROI.

Leveraging device data

The sheer volume of devices out there presents both a challenge and an opportunity. Creating and maintaining an ongoing up-to-date device database is a resource-intensive undertaking (which is why so many top brands use DeviceAtlas) but the ability to perform deep, granular device targeting gives companies that competitive edge.

Not only that but by bringing in an additional layer of detailed and accurate device data such as device browser, OS and screen size to your analytics, you automatically gain insight into which devices your users are engaging with.

Business intelligence and behavioral analytics

One of the more obvious ways companies present and establish meaningful analytics is to gather data that shows where revenues are being generated. With accurate device data, you can compare analytics across different channels, identify opportunities and resolve issues to ensure all channels are delivering the best customer experience and return.

Going further, you can scrutinize server logs to build a picture of historical traffic, so that the overall volumes of mobile devices, their breakdown and frequency, can be established. This provides valuable input towards establishing the typical online behavior of certain devices that lead to won and lost customers as well as determining areas for investment. A robust device detection solution can provide you with granular device data on user interactions across various devices.

Content optimization

Poorly optimized content such as slow loading pages directly leads to poor user experiences, fewer visits and fewer conversions which in turn impacts a company’s bottom line. The fact that conversion rates are nearly 3x higher on desktop computers than on mobile should be a major concern. The main culprit is the lack of optimization for mobile devices:

• The lack of granular mobile optimization based on various device characteristics
• Web performance issues caused by growing page weight and loading times
• Sticking to the classic one-size-fits-all approach which is limited to resizing website components

Using your new layer of device analytics, your next natural step is to adapt content to a visitor’s device characteristics, the result of which leads to improved user experience (UX) and engagement on your web properties. This can be done by analyzing the HTTP headers presented by the browser and automatically retrieving key characteristics of the visiting device from mobile database.

Can device intelligence be embedded into existing products?

Many tech platforms do not adequately report on mobile devices due to a reliance on unsophisticated device detection methods that can’t handle incorrect or incomplete HTTP headers presented by the browser. DeviceAtlas is the leading device detection solution and is designed to be seamlessly embedded in your product or service.

We are used extensively as a component in platforms by companies whose products and services need advanced device awareness. DeviceAtlas is fully optimised, with a small server footprint, high performance and high reliability. For more information on how to add device intelligence to your product, download our brand new whitepaper on building device intelligence into your platform.