Consumers Plan to Use Mobile Phones for Holiday Shopping

The numbers come from the October 2010 U.S. Mobile Consumer Briefing, which was conducted on behalf of the The Mobile Marketing Association and it’s even further proof that mobile marketing is on the rise.
Of those who expected to use their phone to faciliate shopping, 64% said they’re check their phone before going to a store, but only 12% said it would be in response to a  TV, billboard or newspaper ad. What are they using the phones for? To search for locations where a gift is sold and to compare prices were the two most common responses.
The survey’s other key findings include:

• Asians, Hispanics and adults ages 25-34 are the demographic groups most likely to use their phone to a great extent for holiday shopping and celebration planning.
• Thirteen percent of mobile holiday shoppers expect to use their phone to purchase or pay for gifts (13%).
• Movies, music, consumer electronics and books are the top gift types that mobile holiday shoppers thought would be helpful to shop for using a mobile phone.
• Among mobile holiday shoppers, Hispanics and Asians were more likely to think that toys or games would be helpful to shop for with a mobile phone.

Though I do believe that our dependence on mobile phones is rising (my husband forgot his when we went out shopping today and he wanted to go back home to get it), I’d take these results with a healthy dose of skepticism. Not that I think they’re wrong, but I don’t believe that people really know what they’ll use their phones for let alone what kind of gift would be better served. I suspect people responded with the most popular categories for gift buying, the same answer you’d get if you asked them what they buy online or at the mall.
Here’s a quote from the press release that does sum it all up nicely. It’s from Jacqueline Rosales, EVP, Business Development & Client Service of Luth Research;

VARUN KUMAR TIWARI
PGDM-1st Sem