Are you marketing to customers on tablet computers? Should you be? A new study from the Pew Internet & American Life Project shows that while tablet owners are still a small percentage of the population, their numbers are growing.

In a May 2011 survey on what kinds of computer devices Americans own—the first one taken by Pew at least a year after the iPad’s release—overall tablet penetration had grown from 5 percent of U.S. consumers in November 2010 to 8 percent in May 2011.

The fastest growth rates occurred among young adults ages 18 to 29 (they account for 12 percent of tablet owners), Hispanics (who make up 15 percent of tablet owners), affluent consumers (those with incomes of $75K and up make up 17 percent of tablet owners) and college graduates (they account for 13 percent of tablet owners). Men are also more likely than women to own a tablet (10 percent vs. 6 percent, respectively).

Pew also took a look at the penetration of (such as the Nook and Kindle), which have some similarities to tablets but also some important differences. E-reader adoption is growing much faster than that of tablets, according to Pew: The percentage of U.S. adults with an e-book reader doubled from 6 percent to 12 percent between November 2010 and May 2011.

As with tablets, Hispanic adults, adults younger than age 65, college graduates and those living in households with incomes of at least $75,000 are most likely to own e-readers.

There was also an interesting divide that arose between November and May between parents of children under 18 and the rest of the population groups: as of May, parents were 6 percentage points ahead of other groups in ownership of e-readers.

While tablet computers have not seen the same level of growth among U.S. adults in recent months, the fact that consumers are becoming more comfortable with e-readers—and the fact that children under 18 are most likely a primary audience for e-readerscould indicate similar growth for tablets in the coming years as price points drop.

Since tablet users are a desirable demographic, if this is your audience, you need to figure out ways to reach them on their devices. Consider apps that are tailored to mobile devices and be sure your website is mobile-friendly.

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Tags: Small, Tablet Owners