Mobile devices are playing a growing role in women’s lives; half of U.S. women own smartphones, according to Nielsen. Nearly six in 10 women (59%) and 67% of men use their smartphones to access the Internet, according to Pew Research. One in four women (26%) and men (24%) access the Internet primarily via these devices. But they also report frustrations with the devices. One in three (35%) have experienced dropped calls, 29% have received unwanted text messages, and 26% have received unwanted sales or marketing calls.
There are some gender differences in online behavior via mobile:
Men are more likely than women to use smartphones or tablets to watch video clips regularly (18% vs. 13%).
Women are slightly less likely than men to pay full attention to advertisements while playing games on their smartphones or tablets (20% vs. 24%).
Two in three women smartphone owners (67%) and 73% of their male counterparts have used their phone to look up information in the past 30 days, says Pew. Women, however, are less likely than men to have used their phones to look up information that settles an argument (22% vs. 31%).
Six in 10 smartphone owners visit retail sites on their devices, according to Nielsen. Both women and men prefer retailers’ mobile websites over mobile apps; women are slightly less likely than men to try retailers’ mobile apps. Both genders are unhappy with wi-fi service. Nearly half of smartphone owners (49%) say they experience slow download speeds that prevent things from loading as quickly as they would like, reports Pew.
Few smartphone users (9%) have used mobile payment apps, says?Nielsen. However, 71% of those who download apps would be interested in an app that enables them to use their smartphones as credit cards. iPhone users (75%) are more interested in this option than Android users (67%).
Contacts and Connections: Nielsen, Elizabeth Luke, Communications Analyst – Mobile, 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003; 646-654-5000; elizabeth.luke@nielsen.com; www.nielsen.com
Pew Research Center, Kathryn Zickuhr, Report author, 1615 L St., NW, #700, Washington, DC 20036; 202-419-4500; info@pewinternet.org; www.pewinternet.org.
ProsperMobile, 400 West Wilson Bridge Rd., #200, Worthington, OH 43085; 614-846-0146; info@prospermobile.com; www.prospermobile.com.
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