There is a new study out about smartphone usage, reporting that:
•Twenty-two percent of consumers use their phone to check prices, compared with 16 percent in 2009;
• Twenty-one percent of Web-enabled phone owners use their phone to research products, compared with 16 percent in 2009;
• Nineteen percent of consumers use their phone to browse for products, compared with 14 percent in 2009;
• Fifty-three percent of online consumers own a smartphone or other Web-enabled phone;
• Ownership of 3G-compatible Web-enabled phones has grown from 48 percent to 64 percent in the past year.
The study was conducted by PriceGrabber.com, a division of Experian, and specifically reflected behavior between March 26 and April 12, 2010.
•Twenty-two percent of consumers use their phone to check prices, compared with 16 percent in 2009;
• Twenty-one percent of Web-enabled phone owners use their phone to research products, compared with 16 percent in 2009;
• Nineteen percent of consumers use their phone to browse for products, compared with 14 percent in 2009;
• Fifty-three percent of online consumers own a smartphone or other Web-enabled phone;
• Ownership of 3G-compatible Web-enabled phones has grown from 48 percent to 64 percent in the past year.
The study was conducted by PriceGrabber.com, a division of Experian, and specifically reflected behavior between March 26 and April 12, 2010.
- KC's View:
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The study is just a snapshot, a moment in time, but the message here seems pretty simple - mobile technology makes it easier for people to check prices, research products, and buy the things they want.
The trend is only going to continue, and the numbers are only going to grow. For retailers to be relevant, they need to figure out where they fit on this continuum, and begin planning for as future in which they will communicate with their shoppers in fundamentally different ways.
