Companies that offer data analytics need to be mobile in light of a new report that found 70 percent of business intelligence users say that a mobile application is critical for their data analytics needs.

The report from Clutch looked at the way business owners and marketers who use data analytics software engage with it, in an attempt to determine how business intelligence providers can better serve them. The results were that the ability to view data on mobile is overwhelmingly desired among users.

“Simple dashboards on mobile may already exist in most BI tools out there, but it’s not enough” said Yair Weinberger, CTO and co-founder of Alooma, a data warehousing and analytics platform. “Mobile BI software for data analytics users who want to research deeper, drill down into the data, or split the data according to some parameters or features, is still lacking.”

Data analytics
Nowadays, almost every business owner or marketer who deals with retail that has an online or digital component needs to be able to visualize that data in clear and concise ways.

Overwhelmingly, those users turn to business intelligence providers such as Google Analytics, that let them see the amount of people served, demographics, supply chain, inventory and countless other important data points in a clear way.

These data points are important for the survival of a business.

Traditionally, they have been viewed on desktop, and even as recently as last year, only 40 percent of users ever looked at data analytics on a mobile device.

But now, just one year later, a report has found that 70 percent of business intelligence users say that a robust mobile application is absolutely necessary for their continued use of a given data set.

While many business intelligence providers have at least a rudimentary mobile Web site or other way of viewing data through mobile, few have gone far enough to warrant a full-service mobile application that provides the same insight and capabilities.

Clutch has attributed this rise in desire not only to the increasing popularity of mobile but the high speed intensity of modern business running that demands owners have constant access to their data and that it seamlessly transition between channels as they move from place to place throughout the day.

Business intelligence
More than 31 percent of users also said that their data was “not simple” to access.

This speaks to yet another problem plaguing the industry – poor design.

The move to mobile could help many business intelligence providers to recreate their platform in a way that offers easier viewing and access to the things that users want to see.

A smarter, easier business intelligence experience is crucial in the modern mobile world, especially as social media advertising is growing at a rate of 20 percent a year (see story).

If business intelligence providers want to stay competitive – and in turn keep their users competitive – it is clear that mobile is the answer both to easier viewing and for keeping their users on board.

“Mobile BI software for data analytics users who want to research deeper, drill down into the data, or split the data according to some parameters or features, is still lacking,” Mr. Weinberger said.