More Than Half Of U.S. Consumers Plan To Use Their Mobile Phone For Holiday Shopping

Fifty-nine percent of mobile consumers plan to use their mobile phone for holiday shopping and planning holiday celebrations, not including making phone calls, according to a survey. Nearly 25 percent of all mobile consumers said they were using their mobile phone more for holiday shopping and celebrating this holiday season, compared with the 2009 season.

The new survey identifies ways that brands and marketers should respond to trends among the 59 percent of mobile consumers intending to use their mobile phones for holiday shopping and celebration planning, aka "mobile holiday shoppers". This holiday season, for example, 64 percent of mobile holiday shoppers expect to use their mobile phone before going to a store, and 12 percent anticipate using their device to respond to a TV, billboard or newspaper ad.

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%).

-- Searching for locations where a gift is sold, and comparing prices, are the two most common holiday-related tasks that mobile holiday shoppers anticipate using their mobile phone for.

-- 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.

Comment from Peter A. Johnson, vice president of market intelligence, MMA: U.S. consumers increasingly view their mobile phone as their go-to device for shopping and managing their lives, and this survey shows how that trend will play out this holiday season. Marketers, brands and merchants that ignore or underestimate this trend risk missing out on a powerful new opportunity for reaching and serving virtually every demographic group. The good news is that the October 2010 U.S. Mobile Consumer Briefing provides a wealth of insights that they can apply when developing and executing their 2010 holiday strategies.

Comment from Jacqueline Rosales, EVP, Business Development & Client Service, Luth Research: Holiday shoppers are always in a time crunch, and in this economy, they're in a budget crunch, too. Both of these factors have them relying on their mobile phone more than ever as a tool for finding bargains, the right gift and the quickest way to get to a particular merchant. This dependence makes the mobile channel a highly effective way for brands, marketers and merchants to reach consumers this holiday shopping season, including by mobile-enabling campaigns that involve traditional media.

About the survey: The Mobile Marketing Association and its research partner, Luth Research conducted the October 2010 U.S. Mobile Consumer Briefing, a monthly survey of U.S. adult mobile phone users (mobile consumers) about their mobile marketing behaviors and opinions. Based on Luth Research's online panel, SurveySavvy, each MMA U.S. Mobile Consumer Briefing collects answers from a demographically representative sample of more than 1,000 U.S. adult consumers. Conducted October 15-21, the survey asked mobile phone users the following questions about their usage of their mobile phone regarding their upcoming holiday shopping and planning of holiday celebrations.

Contact: http://www.mmaglobal.com