Tuesday, April 24, 2012 | Edited by Daniel Moores
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Survey Explores the Wireless Shopping Process Shoppers care most about network and cost when considering mobile device and service purchases. In fact, 58% said network reliability was most important; 56% said cost of data plan; 51% said cost of voice plan; and 50% said that device price was the most important consideration, according to a study released by Google. Upgrades -- and for the most part, the need to have the latest and greatest equipment -- drove new purchases during the Google Q4 2011 study. When asked why the survey participant purchased the upgrade, 48% said they were eligible, 31% wanted the latest technology, 17% wanted to buy their first phone, 14% switched to the provider plan offering the best deal, and 14% switched for a faster and more reliable network. Kyle Keogh, Google's tech industry director, said the most surprising insight came from a lack of consumers wanting 4G connections, for its rapid speeds and uninterrupted flow of streaming video content. For some, research has been a lengthy process. About 48% start more than three weeks before making a purchase. Others are more compulsive. Some 28% said they make the purchase on the same day they begin research, followed by 24% within two weeks. It's no surprise that digital content continues to become a more important part of the research process. Some 63% relied on search to research information about wireless devices before making a purchase. OEM sites followed with 48%; online customer reviews, 47%; carrier sites, 46%; and online retailers, 35%. Consumers also called on family and friends as the highest offline resource, and magazine ads for traditional. Purchases still often occur in stores, but online activity continues to influence decisions. When asked how the consumer made the decision to purchase their most recent phone, 45% said in-store; followed by 25%, online; 24%, and 6%, other. Sometimes the decision isn't easy. About 72% consider two or more cell phone models, and 57% research content on more than five Web sites. Search ads leading to informational landing pages could help consumers make a choice. Keogh said about half of the U.S. population owns a smartphone, and consumers typically purchase a new one once every 1.5 years. One interesting stat released by ABI Research recently suggests that smartphones will drive the semiconductor market to $170 billion in revenue within five years. That's huge, by the way. More mobile phones mean more purchases -- which mean more ads. Forrester Research Analyst Shar VanBoskirk also believes these ad-supported devices will enhance audience targeting. In the U.S. Interactive Marketing Forecast, 2011 To 2016, she writes: "More interactive marketing investment will spawn more ad-supported content. In time this will open the door for ad supported hardware, too: big online user networks like Google and Facebook will option 'freemium' devices to consumers in exchange for embedding ads into their displays." (Source: MediaPost, 04/17/12) Click here to email to client Back to Radio Sales Today |
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