Mobile Is Becoming An Indispensable Tool For Shopping, Especially For Product Info, Store Locations, And Coupons

06-01-12 More than a third of smartphone owners (34%) and 11% of other cell phone owners have made online purchases using their mobile phones in the past year, according to a Harris Interactive poll for location-based marketing firm Placecast.

Nearly six in 10 owners of smartphones (59%) say it’s at least somewhat important to be able to make purchases using their phones.

Both smartphone owners and traditional cell phone owners rate text messaging as the top activity they consider very or extremely important. Owners of smartphones are more likely than owners of traditional cell phones to rate any mobile phone activity as very/extremely important.

Product Info And Store Locations

Looking for product information and store locations are the top two shopping-related activities mobile shoppers do on their phones (includes users of smartphones and web-enabled feature phones), according to an On Device Research study for the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB).

Mobile Shopping From Home

Nearly half (47%) of mobile shopping takes place while shoppers are at home; 29% takes place while they’re out and about, and 10% takes place while they’re at work. More than six in 10 mobile shoppers (64%) say they were using another form of media at the same time while shopping via mobile.

Among those who use other media while shopping via mobile, 36% watch TV, 16% talk on the phone, and 10% use a desktop or laptop computer.

When shopping at home via mobile, 61% shop from the living room or front room, 20% from the bedroom, 8% each from the kitchen or garden/patio, 1% from the bathroom, and 2% from other rooms.

More than seven in 10 mobile shoppers (73%) have used their mobile phones while shopping in physical stores in the past three months. More than half (53%) have abandoned an in-store purchase as a result of using their mobile phone while in-store.

When asked whether they consider mobile ads more of an invasion or more of an invitation, 70% say they consider them an invitation.

Mobile Coupons Becoming Mainstream

Four in 10 smartphone owners (40%) have redeemed mobile coupons using their devices, according to a Harris Interactive study for CouponCabin.com. Almost three in 10 smartphone owners (29%) look for coupons on their smartphones at least once a month; 40% of those ages 18-34 do so.

Seven in 10 smartphone owners (72%) say they’re at least somewhat likely to use mobile apps that offer access to a variety of types of coupons, such as grocery, health & beauty, and packaged goods.

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Sources: Placecast, Blair Swedeen, SVP Strategy and Business Development, 165 Page St., San Francisco, CA 94102; 415-501-9759; www.placecast.net. Price: Available online at no charge.

“The IAB Mobile Shopping Diaries,” Interactive Advertising Bureau, Anna Bager, VP & GM, Mobile Marketing Center of Excellence, 116 E. 27th St., 7th Fl., New York, NY 10016; 212-380-4700; anna.bager@iab.net; www.iab.net/mobilediaries. Price: Available online at no charge.

CouponCabin.com, Allison Nawoj, 1321 119th St., Whiting, IN 46394; 219-473-9810; anawoj@couponcabin.com; www.couponcabin.com. Price: Contact for information.

© Copyright 2012, EPM Communications, Inc. May not be reproduced without written consent of publisher.

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