E-Business
AI to Push Smartphones Purchases Rebound This Year- Accenture
After dropping to a three-year low last year, consumer purchases of smartphones are expected to rebound this year, fueled by better security, new functions, improved performance and device refresh schedules, a global Accenture survey finds.
The survey of 26,000 consumers in 26 countries – whose findings are summarized in Accenture’s new Dynamic Digital Consumers – reveals consumer demand for specific types of connected devices, such as smartwatches and fitness monitors, will remain sluggish this year due to high prices and persistent concerns about the security and privacy of their personal data.
The survey also shows consumers are increasingly embracing artificial intelligence capabilities such as digital voice assistants.
Resurgence of Smartphone Market
More than half (54 percent) of consumers surveyed said they plan to buy a smartphone in the next year, up from 48 percent in last year’s survey.
Chinese consumers are the main drivers of this upturn, with three-quarters (74 percent) of respondents in China saying they intend to purchase a smartphone in the coming 12 months, up from less than two-thirds (61 percent) in last year’s survey.
The number of respondents in India and the United States who said they plan to buy a smartphone in the coming 12 months also increased by double digits over last year, to 79 percent in India (from 68 percent last year) and 52 percent in the United States (from 38 percent last year).
Among all consumers surveyed, the leading driver of purchase intent is the ability to access the newest and most innovative features and functions, cited by 51 percent of respondents in this year’s survey, compared with only 41 percent last year.
Another reason consumers are opting to buy new smartphones is inadequate performance of their existing devices, cited by 45 percent of customers this year – up from 33 percent last year.
“Improved features and falling prices are key reasons consumers around the world are signaling a desire to buy new smartphones,” said David Sovie, global managing director for Accenture’s Electronics and High-Tech business. “Growing acceptance of services powered by artificial intelligence, such as voice assistants, is also fueling this market upswing. 2017 will be the year when artificial intelligence goes mainstream in consumer devices.”
Strong interest in AI-powered devices and services
For the first time, the annual survey polled consumers about their intentions to buy digital voice-enabled assistants such as Amazon Echo and Google Home. Powered by artificial intelligence, the products recognize a human’s voice commands, such as ‘Turn on the light’ and ‘Play music’ and answer questions such as ‘What time is it?’ and ‘What is the temperature outside?’ While only 4 percent of the respondents said they own such a device today, two-thirds (65 percent) of owners said they use their device on a regular basis, showing strong acceptance of this new technology.
Voice assistants on smartphones
Voice assistants on Smartphone are also becoming increasingly popular as the AI technology powering these services has improved dramatically.
Younger consumers are leading the adoption, with more than four in five (84 percent) of 14-to-17 year olds saying they either use this technology today or are interested in doing so.
Consumers are also willing to embrace a wide array of potential AI-powered, personalized services, with a majority of respondents saying they are interested in personal health assistants (cited by 60 percent), smart trip assistants (59 percent) and entertainment advisors (51 percent).
Personal data concerns are widespread
Many consumers remain uneasy about securing their personal data, much of which is housed on smartphones or in the cloud. Nearly nine in 10 respondents (87 percent) said they are concerned about the security of financial transactions such as buying online.
Similarly, 89 percent are uneasy that companies or systems they have not approved would get access to their financial information.
The encouraging news for smartphone manufacturers is that consumers trust device manufacturers with their personal data more than they trust telecom providers, banks and search-engine companies.
More than one-third (37 percent) said they trust device manufacturers, up from 31 percent last year. By contrast, 36 percent trust telecom providers with their data – a drop from 42 percent last year, and only 13 percent trust search engine providers, down from 23 percent last year.
Stalling demand for connected devices
Although smartphone purchase intent is on a growth trajectory this year, the same does not hold true for other connected devices. For example, only 14 percent said they plan to buy a wearable fitness monitor and smartwatch this year, virtually unchanged from last year (at 13 percent).
“The ‘insecurity of things’ is a major industry challenge,” added Sovie. “There are widespread consumer concerns about the privacy of their personal data being stolen or compromised. And relative to the value delivered, prices of these connected devices remain too high. Market momentum for these devices will stall unless the industry overcomes these obstacles. If that happens, market demand could accelerate quickly.”
The survey findings provide evidence that this could happen for connected devices. Nearly half (46 percent) of respondents said they plan to buy a home connected surveillance camera within the next five years, compared with only 10 percent who said they plan to do so in the next year.
In addition, 44 percent intend to buy a wearable fitness monitor in the next five years, versus 12 percent who said they will do so in the next year, and 42 percent said they plan to buy a smart home thermostat over the next five years, compared with only 8 percent who said they will do so this year.
Nigeria needs some 480,000 data protection officers (DPOs), to develop, implement, and oversee organizations’ data privacy strategy to ensure compliance with laws like the GDPR and the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA).
Currently only about 10,000 individuals possess the necessary certification highlighting a major skills gap, according Vincent Olatunji, national commissioner, Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC).
Olatunji spoke on Monday at the second edition of its Data Protection Officers training and certification programme in Abuja and Lagos.
He said that the NDPC has domesticated the certification of data protection officers (DPOs) to address the widening gap in certified DPOs, despite steady growth in the number of trained professionals over the past three years.
“At the moment, we have about 10,000 certified DPOs to work in that space. The gap of about 480,000 still exists,” he said.
The shortfall reflects rising demand for data privacy skills as more businesses, government agencies and digital platforms process personal data under the Nigeria Data Protection Act.
Olatunji said the number of certified DPOs has grown from fewer than 1,000 three years ago to over 10,000, while more than 27,000 professionals now operate within Nigeria’s wider data protection ecosystem.
He said the commission is scaling up training and certification efforts to close the gap and position Nigeria as a leading source of data protection talent in Africa.
“Our goal is to make Nigeria the go-to country when it comes to sourcing qualified data protection officers in Africa,” he said, adding that the certification meets global standards.
The NDPC said expanding the talent pool could also support job creation and strengthen trust in Nigeria’s digital economy.
Tolu Fadipe, head of research and development at the commission, said data protection is becoming critical as the country moves deeper into digital systems and emerging technologies.
“As we move towards a digital economy, data becomes central and protecting that data is essential,” she said.
Adeola Sopade, lead trainer, said participants in the programme would be trained on global best practices, including data protection principles, compliance requirements and handling user data requests.
The training also includes practical exposure and internships with organisations to improve job readiness.
Participants said the programme offers opportunities for young Nigerians to build careers in technology and prepare for emerging fields such as artificial intelligence.
Federal government has inaugurated the Electronic Pharmacy Regulation Platform (E-Pharmacy) to enhance the safety of online healthcare services.
Pic credit….healthreporters.info
The platform, championed by the Pharmacy Council of Nigeria (PCN), is designed to regulate digital pharmaceutical services and improve public health outcomes.
Inaugurating the platform, Prof. Ali Pate, coordinating minister of Health and Social Welfare, said the initiative signified Nigeria’s commitment to building a world-class regulatory environment.
Pate noted that pharmacy regulation had faced significant challenges for over three decades but expressed optimism that the new platform would strengthen oversight and accountability.
He said the initiative would enable evidence-based monitoring of pharmaceutical practices while supporting innovation and investment in the health sector.
“This launch is a testament to our collective commitment to advancing technology in the service of health, safety and human dignity.
“It is a decisive step to ensure that pharmaceutical practice in Nigeria aligns with national and global health priorities, reflecting the realities of the 21st century.
“It enables the country to adopt evidence-based approaches to monitoring and protecting public health while supporting innovation and investment,” he said.
The minister added that the platform would help establish a safe, accessible and well-regulated national e-pharmacy ecosystem driven by digital technology.
Earlier, Alhaji Ibrahim Ahmed, registrar/chief executive officer of PCN, said the need to regulate online pharmacy operations became more urgent during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ahmed said the pandemic accelerated the adoption of digital tools and e-commerce in healthcare, exposing longstanding inefficiencies in pharmaceutical supply chains, particularly in Africa and Nigeria.
“This has led to the increasing adoption of digitised distribution of essential medicines through cost-effective and technology-enabled models.
“For decades, PCN has regulated pharmacy education, training, practice and business in Nigeria. However, as the world shifts towards digital solutions, access to medicines has evolved.
“The Electronic Pharmacy Regulations 2026 provide a comprehensive legal and technical framework for the registration, licensing, operation and oversight of digital pharmaceutical services,” he said.
He added that the framework would ensure that ethical standards and patient safety are not compromised in the delivery of online pharmaceutical services.
Olugbenga Agboola, CEO, Flutterwave, has announced plans to establish Anambra State as the company’s hub for Nigeria’s South East, leveraging a fresh banking license from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to boost local fintech and businesses.
Flutterwave
Agboola made the disclosure yesterday in Awka during a meeting with Anambra tech community leaders, hosted alongside Dr. Stanley Uzochukwu, CEO, Stanel Group and proprietor, Delborough Hotel.
He highlighted Flutterwave’s status as Africa’s leading payment system, born in Nigeria, with infrastructure powering companies nationwide.
“We want Anambra to be our hub for the entire South East,” Agboola said. “We’ll deploy our systems, fees, infrastructure, and POS terminals to every small business and large firm here, making our services the top consumer choice.”
Agboola pledged a massive impact program for Anambra entrepreneurs to foster global platforms from the state, enabled by the new license for faster growth.
For a decade, Flutterwave has facilitated payments, but now aims to empower South East businesses through partnerships, POS access, loans, and value for SMEs.
“We’re partnering on a huge impact program launching soon—impacting the tech community with technology, financing, and lending to create more millionaires from this city,” he added.
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