Gartner: Users underwhelmed by mobile shopping

Bernard Cole
iApplianceWeb
(03/04/08, 8:15 AM GMT)

San Francisco, Ca. – According to a new study released by Gartner Research, mobile users are willing to shop using their handheld devices, but prefer other methods when it comes to actually buying anything.

In a survey of 2,000 consumers in the United States and the United Kingdom, Gartner found that 24% of people in the U.S. are likely to check for prices of items on their cellular phones, while only 12% were likely to buy products. In the U.K., the percentages are 18% and 11%, respectively.

Also among the top activities to be done on a mobile phone in both the U.S. and the U.K. was finding stores, according to Gartner. Also, the study found that only one in five U.S. consumers is likely to want to receive promotions on their phones, compared to 16% of U.K. respondents.

However, younger consumers are more likely to use their mobile phones for retail activities, the survey found. In the U.S., respondents from 18 year old to 27 years old are, on average, nearly two times more likely to do mobile shopping activities than respondents between the ages of 43 and 61. In the U.K., the younger generation is 2.63 times more likely than Baby Boomers.

To learn more, go to www.gartner.com.

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