Pinterest CEO Ben Silbermann Talks Growth of Mobile Surfing

Most consumers will soon expect every business to be available on every platform, including — and maybe especially — mobile, the CEO of Pinterest Ben Silbermann said during an interview at one of the nation’s top digital conferences, the D11.

Engadget, which is covering the D11 interviews, quoted Silbermann as telling Kara Fisher that a growing number of Pinterest users are accessing the site on the phones or tablets. When Pinterest released mobile apps, there was discussion about how long it would take those mobile users to surpass the web traffic. Silbermann predicted it would take a few weeks, reported Engadget, but mobile surpassed web on the day the apps were released.

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Such extreme interest in mobile applications is no surprise for most companies, particularly with the growing usage of tablets and smart phones. Users are tapping in to check out everything from health to pets to shopping. The Washington Post reported that there are more than 40,000 health apps available, which, along with being used by consumers, are being utilized by professionals in the health care industry.

Almost 56 percent of smartphone users use mobile commerce apps, with Arbitron finding eBay, Amazon and Groupon topping the shopping app list.

And consumers aren’t just using their mobile devices when they’re, well, mobile.

At-home use of mobile devices accounts for 20 percent of home broadband usage, according to a report from Sandvine. The Business 2 Community article reported that a Nielsen study found 40 percent of Americans use their mobile device while watching television.

The business community is responding to the desire for mobile apps, focusing on ways to help developers continue their creativity. This week, Amazon announced App Engagement Reports, which are free app usages reports that allow Amazon Appstore developers to get information about app performance and revenues.

Amazon expanded its app store reach in May also, announcing that its store is available in 200 more countries and the Kindle Fire HD can now be ordered in 170 more countries.

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