Smartphones driving mobile shopping

Mobile Marketer
By Giselle Tsirulnik

Mobile technology has finally reached an inflection point where the mobile Internet could be another viable consumer resource for online shopping and purchasing, according to PriceGrabber.com.

According to PriceGrabber.com’s Mobile Shopping Behavior Survey, 58 percent of U.S. online consumers already own a Web-enabled mobile phone. Furthermore, of those consumers that own a Web-enabled mobile phone, one in 10 has bought products or services with their device.

“The mobile phone is yet another lucrative business to consumer channel linking on-the-go consumers and online retailers,” said Sara Rodriguez, market research analyst at PriceGrabber.com

“Using a mobile phone to compare prices while browsing in a store could be the next big trend,” she said. “Fifty-six percent of Apple iPhone owners and 28 percent of smartphone owners are already comparing prices online with their mobile phones.”

An additional 27 percent of iPhone owners and 35 percent of smartphone owners anticipate that they will be comparing prices within two years, according to the study.

In the past year, advancements in network technology and improved platforms have contributed to the widespread consumer adoption of feature-rich Web-enabled mobile phones that provide a more appealing mobile Internet user experience.

As a result, online consumers with Web-enabled phones are slowly adopting the mobile Internet. According to PriceGrabber.com’s Mobile Shopping Behavior Survey, online consumers seem to be closing the mobile Internet usage gap as 48 percent have used mobile GPS and 17 percent have shopped online.

Furthermore, one in 10 online consumers with a Web-enabled mobile phone has purchased online and 16 percent have compared prices from their mobile phones.

Nearly two-thirds of U.S. online consumers own a mobile phone capable of connecting with the Internet.

Online consumers said the lengthy purchase process (38 percent) and challenges they face with completing a purchase transaction (28 percent) are preventing them from buying online from their mobile phone.

As Web-enabled phone adoption continues to grow, with improvements in smartphone hardware and advances in mobile network service, more and more online consumers will interact with and buy from the Web via their device.

Mobile Internet consumer adoption is more widespread in Britain compared to that of the U.S.

More than two-thirds of British online consumers own a mobile phone capable of connecting with the Internet and 64 percent own a 3G compatible Web-enabled mobile phone enabling them to make more secure and substantial purchases with their credit cards from their mobile phones.

“Smartphone purchases amongst online consumers have risen dramatically since 2006,” Ms. Rodriguez said. “The iPhone jump-started mainstream smartphone adoption.”

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