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IAB Report: Nearly 1 in 4 Mobile Users Around the World, Buy on Mobile Devices Weekly

Mobile Commerce

Shopping and making purchases using mobile devices is now a mainstream aspect of commerce and daily life for people worldwide, according to new mobile commerce research from The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB). Three-quarters of smartphone or tablet users in 19 countries responding to a survey said they have bought a product or service via smartphone or tablet in the previous six months.

Nearly one-quarter (23%) said they did so on a weekly basis, IAB highlights in an excerpt from ¨Mobile Commerce: A Global Perspective,¨ which the industry organization presented at Advertising’s New World Order, the theme of this year’s IAB MIXX Conference at the Crowne Plaza in New York City’s Times Square.

Globally, nearly 6 in 10 respondents (57%) said they have been making mobile purchases for more than one year. Nearly 3 in 10 (28%) said they made their first mobile purchase in the last six months.

Mobile Commerce Research
A large majority of respondents (80%) cited price and convenience, particularly with regard to saving time, as key factors that prompt them to engage in mobile e-commerce. Sixty-two percent said they intend to make purchases in the next six months. Results revealed that mobile shoppers in the U.K., Brazil, Ireland and Peru were the most likely to increase their mobile shopping activities.

IAB’s latest study also revealed that a large majority of mobile buyers (76%) had engaged with a mobile ad. One-third clicked on a mobile ad on average to obtain more information about a product or service,

Another 28% clicked to visit the advertisers’ website and 21% clicked to make a purchase. Click-through purchases were highest among mobile shoppers in Brazil, Canada, Colombia, the U.K. and the U.S.

Social Media Impact
Mobile shoppers also make a lot of use of social media in association with their activities. Sixty percent of mobile purchasers said they often discover products and services they would like to buy on social media networks. More than one-third (36%) said they share their mobile shopping experiences via social media sites.

Regarding payment methods, using credit or debit cards to make payments via mobile Web or other modes of online payment are the most popular. Forty percent said they paid for mobile purchases via mobile Web services, while 37% said they used other online payment channels.

Mobile Wallet Trends
Furthermore, IAB found that those with mobile wallets installed on their devices are the most heavily involved in mobile commerce. Eighteen percent said they had used a mobile wallet to make mobile purchases in the past six months.

In addition, mobile wallet users make purchases more frequently than average – 36% weekly vs. an average of 23%. They also are more likely to click on mobile ads – 82% as compared to 76%, respectively.

Mobile wallet use is most prominent in China (47%), followed by Norway (42%), the U.K. (42%) and Japan (20%). In terms of what they purchased, IAB found the following:

  • Mobile app downloads or updates (43%)
  • Digital content, such as films and music (42%)
  • Physical products ordered from a website or app (41%)
  • Food or drink in a shop, cafe, or bar (40%).

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