ShoutingInDigital

2009: The year of the smartphone shopper

Posted by James | Filed under tech

According to a survey by PriceGrabber, 58% of US online consumers now own a web-enabled mobile phone. While statistics regarding the adoption of smartphones are nothing new, PriceGrabber’s investigation into the usage of web-enabled phones could have a major impact on the world of retail.

Of the 58% of US consumers who own a web-enabled mobile phone, 21% own a smartphone, 8% an iPhone and 29% connect via another web-enabled mobile phone.

Of all those who are able to connect to the internet via their mobile phone, one in ten have made at least one purchase. For what is a relatively new technology, this is an extremely fast pickup rate.

Fifty six per cent of consumers purchased digital content for their mobile phone, 51% bought consumer electronics, 37% computers, 36% books and 31% purchased clothing.

While retailers will be looking for ways to reach the one in ten who purchase via their mobile phone, there are several other groups of users to pay close attention to.

Sixteen per cent of those with a web-enabled mobile phone use it to compare prices online. A further 16% research product details before making a purchase offline or via their computer. Tapping into these two groups of mobile phone users (particularly the latter who are almost ready to buy) could produce significant sales for internet retailers.

There is a growing market in the area of web-based mobile phone shopping that could be extremely beneficial for online (and offline) retailers in the months to come.

Tags: fashion, phones