The extent of consumer mobile use was bought into focus this week with the release of the Mobile Online Journey Observation, a study from the Internet Advertising Bureau which focused on the different roles mobile devices played in purchasing behaviour.
The research, which interviewed 800 smartphone users, discovered the extent of mobile usage in the customer journey, revealing that 54 per cent of mobile owners researched a product they were interested in purchasing via their handset. Just over 34 per cent of consumers then elected to buy the item on their mobile.
The survey also found that 44 per cent of mobile users reached for their smartphone when wanting more information about a product they had seen advertised on television; twice as many users elected to use this approach rather than to travel in store to gain more information.
Indeed, the report also focused on how consumers used their mobile when present in a retailers. 38 per cent of those interviewed turned to their handset in a shop, with 55 per cent conducting a search regarding a certain product or service, while 49 per cent used their mobile to compare prices with other retailers.
Alex Kozloff, senior mobile manger at the IAB, said:
“This research takes us one step further in understanding the increasing impact digital devices are having throughout the purchase journey.
“By showing the deep impact digital devices are having from brand awareness, to research, to purchase (both in store and online), we hope advertisers will have a clearer understanding of how to adapt their strategy. In particular, the way the way consumers are turning to their mobile phone in store is a strong call to action for retailers to react to this growing trend.”
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