Save E-mail

Send this URL to a friend:

* - Denotes a required field.
Your Name*
Your Email Address*
Friend's Name*
Friend's Email Address*
Subject*
Message*

Print

Reston, Va.--More than half of U.S. smartphone users engaged their devices to perform retail research while inside a store in 2011, illustrating the emergence of savvy smartphone shoppers who bring online shopping behaviors in-store, according to comScore’s 2012 Mobile Future in Focus report.

By the end of 2011, comScore reports, nearly one in eight smartphone users compared prices on their device while in a store.

“2011 proved to be a groundbreaking year for the mobile industry, with smartphones hitting the mainstream and consumers increasingly integrating mobile behaviors into their lifestyles,” Mark Donovan, senior vice president of mobile at comScore, said.

Nearly 42 percent of all U.S. mobile subscribers now use smartphones, and mobile media use has seen increased growth as a result. comScore reports that 64.2 million U.S. smartphone users accessed social networking sites or blogs on their mobile device at least once in December 2011, with more than half of these users accessing social media almost every day. More than half of smartphone users also reported reading posts from brands, organizations and events.

“As mobile channels present a more personal, social and ubiquitous experience to consumers, advertisers and publishers have an opportunity to better engage target audiences,” Donovan said.

In 2011, the U.S. saw growth in mobile app use exceed growth in mobile browser use, with the retail category being the second fastest-growing mobile media category in the country (the fastest growing category was health). The popularity of tablets also rose last year, marking less than two years for nearly 40 million tablets in use and outpacing smartphones, which took 7 years to reach the same level of use.

By the end of 2011, nearly 15 percent of mobile users also had tablets.

“As the industry continues to innovate, and more consumers look to multiple devices and platforms to consume digital media, we expect the mobile and connected device landscape to be shaken up even further in 2012,” Donovan said.

comScore’s annual Mobile Future in Focus report examines the mobile and connected device landscape, covering several mobile markets and key trends, among other factors. A full copy of the 2012 Mobile Future in Focus report can be found on comScore’s website here.