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Study Finds “Active Mobile Users” Consumers Conduct More Regular Product Research Online

Consumers are increasingly turning to smart phones to make smarter, more informed shopping decisions. Mobile users who actively search for information, such as news, sports and TV/videos, are more likely than general consumers to conduct regular product research online, according to the December 2010 BIGresearch report Simultaneous Media Usage Survey (SIMM).

“Active Mobile Users” (those who regularly or occasionally view News, Sports, or Video/TV on a mobile phone) are more likely than Adults 18+ to regularly search online for information about automobiles/trucks, clothing/shoes and general comparison shopping. These Active Mobile Users are not just shoppers — they are seekers of financial and medical information, according to the study.

The BIGresearch SIMM Survey of 20,000+ respondents is conducted semi-annually. This analysis of consumer behavior provides marketers and advertisers with media consumption insights for more effective media allocation.

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Approximately 28% of survey respondents regularly use their mobile phones for product information and comparison shopping, while 33% said that “sponsored links/results” have “no influence” on purchases. It’s no surprise that nearly 20% of respondents utilize social media channels like Facebook and Twitter to communicate with others about their product searches, but the survey also found that more than 52% of respondents use email to share this information.

Digital advertisements offer an opportunity to reach Active Mobile Users, according to BIGresearch. Just over half of Adults 18+ (56.6%) indicate they regularly or occasionally watch video commercials while waiting for video content to load. However, Active Mobile Users are much more likely to watch these ads. Sponsored links also are more likely to influence Active Mobile Users. On a 5-point influence scale, sponsored links rate a 2.6 for mobile Sports and Video viewers, compared to a 2.2 among Adults 18+.

When it comes to sharing online research findings, nearly 97% of all Active Mobile Users say they give advice about products and services, and word of mouth (face-to-face) is the most prominent means:

To view a SlideShare report about Active Mobile Users click here.

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