The upcoming Internet Retailer conference, taking place in Chicago in June, will revolve around one theme – connecting with the 21st century consumer. And in order to connect with  today’s consumer, it is important for retailers to know where those consumers are and what they are doing and looking for.

So where exactly is today’s consumer? From what we have seen in the mobile advertising industry, many many many consumers are on their mobile devices. In Germany alone, where mobile phones are quite popular, 29% of the population owns a smartphone (MobilBranche). And in the United States, according to the CTIA, one third of households are completely wireless, and over 40% of the total number of mobile users have smartphones (engadget).

As there are more mobile devices than toothbrushes in today’s world, it is safe to say that a large number of today’s consumers can be found on their mobile. And just what are they doing? Well, everything. Shopping, browsing, researching, gaming, chatting, and more. And shopping is a large and growing part of mobile. In the United States last year lone, 39 million people, or 20% of mobile phone owners, made a purchase with their mobile device (econsultancy).

They say that numbers don’t lie, and these numbers show that people are on their mobiles, and many of them are making purchases. This will continue to grow, so in order to connect with today’s consumer, mobile is a direction worth heading in.

Any thoughts on where the 21st century consumer is? Please share your opinion in the comments section below.