Younger generation mainly researches product purchases via mobile

6 Nov 2014

Mobile devices are now the primary gadgets 16-34-year-olds use to gather information about products and services, a new study suggests.

The Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) study, carried out in conjunction with research agency Kantar Media, reveals the importance of mobile devices in the purchasing journey amongst younger consumers.

The study involved a survey of more than 2,000 smartphone users in Great Britain. Laptops were actually the most popular device for researching product purchases, however, when looking at the 16-34 demographic, mobile use soared ahead.

Almost 60pc of those surveyed revealed it was actually traditional media, such as TV, that prompted their interest in researching a product, with editorial content in print also being significant.

“The fact that 59pc of smartphone owners had been prompted by traditional media in the last four weeks to look for more information on products shows that mobile is the glue that holds other media together,” said Hannah Bewley, senior research manager at IAB.

The study also looked at the impact of not having a mobile-optimised site and the implications this could have for brands. Fifty-two per cent of smartphone owners said they had visited a non-mobile-optimised site in the last month, and most of those owners claimed to be frustrated by the experience.

“The study emphasised the importance of optimising sites so that consumers are able to browse your site, research your product, and transact on the move. With 73pc not looking for an alternative device if they reach a non-optimised site, brands without a mobile strategy are risking losing customers,” said Bewley.

Image via IAB

Youngsters on smartphones image via Shutterstock

Gordon Hunt was a journalist with Silicon Republic

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