People mostly use their smartphones to search information and to plan day-to-day activities, according to a study.
In the study commissioned by Google, the market research firm Ipsos OTX tried to understand how the smartphone was being used in the daily lives of users, especially how mobile advertising affected their shopping behaviour.
Some of the major findings were, 77 per cent users search for information using their smartphones, and 45 per cent plan their activities using the phone. Search websites are the most visited by the mobile users who use it to find news, dining, entertainment, shopping and travel options.
Google suggests to businesses in a blog post: “Incorporate location based products and services and make it easy for mobile customers to reach you because local information seeking is common among smartphone users. Develop a comprehensive cross-channel strategy as mobile shoppers use their phones in-store, online and via mobile website and apps to research and make purchase decisions.”
Close to 90 per cent users take some kind of action after conducting search, and about half of them end up purchasing something. Even other users, who don’t buy something, often end up recommending something for purchase to their friends and family.
Others continue to search for more information online using their computers. 95 per cent users end up searching for local information. Interestingly, after searching, 61 per cent make a call, 59 per cent visit a business and 44 per cent buy something.
The findings have a lot of appeal to the retailers and advertisers as they need to optimise their websites for the mobile platform.
Also, as it is evident that local information are on high demand, there will be an increase in location based content and services to meet this demand.