Offline Media Influences Smartphone Searches, Purchases

Mobile

March 2012 -- Key U.S. findings from a recent survey on smartphone usage conducted by Ipsos, on behalf of search giant Google:

Ownership is on the rise: As of October 2012, 38% of U.S. respondents owned a smartphone, up from 31% at the start of the year.

Always connected:  76% of U.S. smartphone users report having used their phone while in a store, although the most common places of use are at home (96%) and on-the-go (83%).

Mobile as Point of Purchase: 34% of U.S. respondents have purchased a product or a service via their smartphone. Of these consumers, 29% say they do so monthly, 14% do so weekly, and 20% make purchases daily.

Users notice mobile ads: 88% of U.S. smartphone internet users say they "at least rarely notice ads" on their device; 47% have noticed an ad while on a website, 46% have noticed one while in an application, 41% while using a search engine, 27% noticed ads while watching a video, 25% on a retailer website and 20% on a video website (20%).

Offline media influences mobile search:  58% of Americans use their smartphone to do a search in response to an ad seen on TV, 57% do so thanks to an ad seen while in a shop or business, 46% are motivated to search due to an ad seen in a magazine, and 36% perform a search based on a poster viewed.

Smartphone Users Seek Local Information and Make Purchases: 92% of U.S. users use their device to access local information and 89% have taken action on local contact (visit, shop, contact, directions); One in four (25%) have made a purchase in-store based on the info they sought out and 21% have made an online purchase.  

About: The Google survey results are based on global online interviews with private smartphone users who use the Internet on their smartphone.  Interviews were conducted by Ipsos in Q1 2012 (fieldwork in January/February). The U.S. sample size was 1,000 with distribution according to national representative CATI Study. For U.S. sample, ages 18- 24 (25%), 25-34 (24%), 35-44 (18%), 45-54 (24%), 55+ (9%); 49% female, 51% male.

Source: Marketing Charts, 88% of Smartphone Users Notice Ads on Device, March 1, 2012 and Google, Our Mobile Planet: Global Smartphone Users, accessed March 19, 2012.