Nearly Half of Mobile Searchers Made a Mobile Purchase in the Last Six Months
A new study from Performics, conducted by ROI Research Inc., found that nearly half of mobile searchers have made a mobile purchase in the last six months. Other findings from the report show mobile search’s increasing importance in information-gathering and purchase purposes.
The 2011 Mobile Search Insights Study set out to understand how participants use mobile search:
- in general (frequency, time of day, location, purpose)
- with regard to the purchase process
- compared to traditional search
It also aimed to explore the use of mobile search by the type of phone used, and measure satisfaction with mobile search and intent for future usage.
There were 502 participants, each accessing the mobile Web at least once a week and having used mobile search one or more times in the past month. Eighty-six percent of respondents used smartphones.
According to the study, 57 percent of respondents accessed the Internet on their mobile phones more than once a day, while 16 percent accessed it once a day, 20 percent accessed it a few times a week and 7 percent accessed it once a week.
When it comes to mobile search, 39 percent of respondents said they’ve used mobile search more than 20 times in the past month, while 17 percent said 11-20 times, 21 percent said 6-10 times and 23 percent said 1-5 times.
Among the many activities mobile searchers partake in when finding retailers (offline and online), 25 percent said they frequently use mobile search to learn about a product or service after seeing an ad, while 46 percent said they occasionally do. Meanwhile, 26 percent said they frequently use mobile search to gather information before making a purchase online, while 39 percent said they occasionally do.
Also, 24 percent said they frequently use mobile search to find coupons, specials, sales, etc., while 32 percent said they occasionally do.
Sixty-six percent of respondents said they use mobile search frequently/occasionally while watching TV, and 45 percent said they do so while using the computer, according to the study.
Three-quarters of respondents agreed with the statement that “Mobile search makes my life easier,” while 63 percent agreed that “Access to mobile search has changed the way I gather information” and 32 percent agreed that “I use mobile search more than I use search engines on my computer.
Clearly, mobile search is creeping into nearly every area of our daily lives. “Advertisers still have an opportunity to get in early when it comes to mobile marketing and integrating marketing across screens,” said Daina Middleton, CEO of Performics.
Another finding from the study was that 49 percent of respondents have made a mobile purchase in the past six months. Entertainment (32 percent), apparel (31 percent), electronics (25 percent) and travel (22 percent) were the types of products that were most frequently purchased via mobile phones.
According to eMarketer, 12 percent of mobile phone users will research travel via mobile in 2011. This number will be 32 percent for smartphone users and 30 percent for mobile Internet users.
The study from Performics found that 48 percent of respondents said they are “very” satisfied with the results they get from using mobile search, while 20 percent said they are “extremely” satisfied.
In the next six months, 51 percent of respondents expect their use of mobile search to stay the same, while 34 percent expect it to increase a little and 14 percent expect it to increase a lot.
“Mobile paid search has surged as a percentage of overall paid search spending for our clients, particularly over the last 15 months,” said Middleton. “We expect March to be the double digit tipping point, when mobile paid search will represent at least ten percent of paid search impressions for all Performics clients.”
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