By Rieva Lesonsky
Do you rely on your smartphone as much as I do? When smartphones first started taking off for business use, I was an early (and eager) adopter. At one point, I had three different smartphones, each with a different purpose and phone number. As smartphones have gotten smarter and smarter, I’ve consolidated down to one—but I’m more dependent than ever on my mobile devices (smartphone and tablet) to run my business.
Apparently, I’m not alone. In a study by global tech protection company Asurion, 31% of American smartphone owners say they feel anxious whenever they’re separated from their phones. On average, respondents check their phones every 12 minutes, or 80 times a day. One-third say they would struggle to organize their lives without their smartphones, while 41% say they would be lost (literally) without the smartphone’s GPS function. ComScore’s 2017 Cross Platform Future in Focus report found the average American adult spends nearly 3 hours a day on their smartphone. (Does that figure seem low to you, too?)
Use your smartphone to be more productive
Here are just a few of the ways I use my smartphone for business on a daily basis.
- Checking and updating my business’s social media accounts (I’m a Twitter junkie)
- Responding to customer emails
- Texting my business partners with urgent messages
- Staying up-to-date on news and business trends
- Accessing business documents in the cloud
- Holding conference calls
- Planning travel and getting airline and hotel updates while on the road
- Setting up reminders and alerts so I don’t miss deadlines or appointments
- Banking online
- Getting work done while waiting in line, waiting at the airport or for waiting a meeting to start
Connect with suppliers worldwide via mobile
Want to make your smartphone even more useful as a business tool? Then download the free Alibaba.com B2B Trade App. Alibaba.com’s mobile app enables global trade on the go, so you never have to miss an opportunity to get a great deal.
The Alibaba.com B2B Trade App makes it easy to browse and buy products from suppliers around the world, right from your smartphone. You have access to all Alibaba.com’s thousands of product categories, including clothing and fashion apparel, shoes and accessories, consumer electronics, toys, home and garden items, car and motor accessories and more.
Just browse the millions of products available and, if you see something you like, save the product and send a customized buying request to the supplier. The Alibaba.com B2B Trade App makes it super simple to communicate with suppliers directly through the app’s messenger system, so you can find and purchase the products you need wherever you are. Plus, it supports 14 languages, including English, Spanish, Russian and Turkish.
There’s no worry when you purchase through the Alibaba.com B2B Trade App, either. Alibaba.com offers secure trade services through its Trade Assurance program, so you can feel confident buying through the mobile app.
Get even more from March Expo
You can use the Alibaba.com B2B Trade App to make the most of March Expo! The mobile app makes it easy to:
- Receive alerts of weekly deals from Alibaba.com’s global marketplace
- Explore March Expo behind the scenes: Watch product and factory videos for added transparency
- Get special offers directly from factories through March 31st, 2018
- Follow, discover and get closer to your favorite suppliers on their feeds (there are more than 58,000 suppliers participating in March Expo)
- Get supplier special offers, updates and news about product releases
Learn more about March Expo’s special offers from the Alibaba.com mobile app.
And if you want to keep up with all the opportunities being offered at March Expo, follow @AlibabaTalk on social media and the #DiscoverNewMarch hashtag.
