Most Smartphone Owners Don't Want Ads Sent to Them
Mobile
January 2012 -- Retailers thinking about taking advantage of the rise in popularity and use of smartphones to make contact with consumers via direct marketing may want to rethink their strategy.
Mblox, a mobile commerce technology provider, surveyed 2,003 U.S. mobile phone owners and most expressed that they do not want promotional messages -- email or text ad blasts, in-app advertising, or social media marketing messages -- sent to their devices.
When asked how they feel about marketing blasts and other mobile ads:
- The majority, 55.2%, stated they neither “liked” nor “loved” receiving promotional messages on their phones
- Almost one-third (29.3%) were neutral, expressing neither a like nor a dislike for the promotional messages
- Less than one in five (15.4%) expressed an affinity for receiving advertising on their mobile phones.
When examined by age groups, the study finds younger adults more receptive to marketers' messaging, but, as age increases, opinions about mobile marketing change:
- Among those 18 to 34 years old, 49.3% liked receiving marketing messages, and 27% stated they loved receiving them
- Among those 35 to 54, 19.2% liked the messages and 12.4% loved them
- Among consumers 55 and older, 11.5% of them liked receiving the messages and 5.1% loved getting them.
(Note: The figures do not add up to 100% due to rounding.)
Source: Internet Retailer, Smartphone Owners Don’t Want to Be Bothered, January 10, 2012.
