A minority of consumers in the UK say they have bought goods or services on their mobile device directly from an ad (42%), but this rises to 64% who would purchase something directly from an ad if the product is relevant to them.
This is just one of several headline findings in a new report from AdColony, the mobile performance marketplace, which examined mobile phone usage and spending habits in the UK in the run up to Christmas.
Following on from a similar exercise in the US in the autumn, AdColony’s UK Christmas Shopping Survey is based on more than 450 responses from UK consumers aged 14 to 75.
It found that at least three-quarters (77%) prefer to use mobile devices to purchase gifts and that a third (34%) only use their smartphone to shop.
Another 35% tend to use their smartphones over desktops, laptops and tablets to make online purchases, even though twice as many consumers regard desktop to be more secure than mobile (22% versus 10%).
Clothes (35%) and travel (16%) are the most frequently purchased items on mobile devices, followed by home goods (14%), groceries (10%), books (9%), transportation (8%) and event tickets (7%).
And, the survey further revealed, 45% of respondents say they have found better deals online while shopping in-store, while 37% believe it is important or most important to carry a smartphone while shopping in-store.
Elsewhere, 10% say they prefer to shop online all the time, while 31% prefer to shop online most of the time – compared to 35% who divide their time evenly between online and offline shopping – with just 6% saying they prefer to shop in-store all the time.
Finally, when it comes to what they use their mobile devices for when in-store shopping, 47% cite research of competitor prices, 38% look up product reviews, 37% take a picture for future reference, while 19% receive a promotion or discount.
Sourced from AdColony; additional content by WARC staff
