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Nov. 3,
2008
Rapid Adoption of Advanced Mobile
Devices Driving Increased Mobile Local Search Activity, According
to The Kelsey Group
‘Mobile Market View’ study
indicates nearly 19% of U.S. mobile consumers now use a smartphone;
49% plan to purchase one within two years.
PRINCETON, N.J. (Nov.
3,
2008) – According to the latest wave of “Mobile
Market View,” a consumer study of U.S. mobile phone users
conducted by The Kelsey Group with research partner ConStat,
18.9 percent of mobile consumers now use a smartphone. Among
those surveyed, 49.2 percent plan to purchase an advanced mobile
device within the next two years.
Corresponding with the rapid consumer adoption
of smartphones is a marked increase in the level of mobile search
activity. According to the Mobile Market View study, mobile consumers
performed the following activities using their mobile devices during
the past six months:
- Downloaded or looked at maps or directions: 17.6 percent,
up from 10.8 percent in 2007
- Searched the Internet for products or services in their local
area: 15.6 percent, up from 9.8 percent in 2007
- Searched the Internet for products or services outside their
local area: 14.3 percent, up from 6.4 percent in 2007
- Obtained information about movies or other entertainment:
13.7 percent, up from 8.2 percent in 2007
- Connected with a social network, such as MySpace or Facebook:
9.6 percent, up from 3.4 percent in 2007
“We believe the introduction
of more user-friendly smartphones is ushering in a new mobile paradigm
where devices now offer an Internet experience that is as easy
as traditional voice connectivity,” said Matt Booth, senior
vice president and program director, Interactive Local Media, The
Kelsey Group. “The implication is that users will increasingly
turn to their smartphones for local commercial and social search
experiences, and the data certainly suggest this is already happening.”
“We are seeing a qualitative difference in
consumer usage of mobile phones, particularly with the energetic
uptake of smartphones,” said Steve Marshall, director of
research and consulting, The Kelsey Group. “The aggressive
projections about mobile are approaching reality, as smartphones
are now becoming mainstream platforms for commercial usage.”
Study Confirms Kelsey Group Mobile Forecast
Findings from Mobile Market View indicate a growth rate of mobile
Internet users that is in line with The Kelsey Group’s
U.S. Mobile Advertising Forecast: 2007-2012 (September 2007),
which projected mobile Internet users would grow at a compound
annual growth rate of 19 percent through 2012. According
to the latest Mobile Market View findings, the percentage of
mobile users who access the Internet from their mobile devices
increased from 32.4 percent in 2007 to 38.9 percent in 2008,
an annual growth rate of 20 percent.
The future of mobile local
search and advertising will be among the topics explored at The
Kelsey Group’s upcoming “Interactive
Local Media 2008” (ILM:08) conference, Nov. 19-21, 2008,
in Santa Clara, California. ILM:08 is The Kelsey Group’s
annual conference devoted to digital media with a local focus.
For more information, visit www.kelseygroup.com/ILM2008.
About Mobile Market View
Mobile Market
View is a tracking study of mobile user behavior conducted by The Kelsey Group
and research partner ConStat. The second wave of the study was conducted in
October 2008 via an online 39-question survey of 512 U.S. mobile phone users
aged 18 and older. The first wave of the study was conducted in September 2007.
About BIA Advisory Services, LLC
BIA
Advisory Services, LLC, a subsidiary of BIA Financial Network, provides
research, data, analysis, and financial and strategic consulting
to media, telecommunications, technology, directory publishing, and
local search companies. BIA Advisory Services includes The Kelsey
Group, experts in traditional and online local media and advertising;
BIA Research, providers of competitive and comparative market information
and analysis through data services, specialized reporting, engineering
studies and mapping; and BIA Consulting, specialists in business
intelligence and corporate growth strategy, and the nation’s
leading communications appraisal and valuation firm. Additional information
is available at www.bia.com.
About The Kelsey Group
The Kelsey Group, a division of BIA Advisory Services, LLC, is
the leading provider of research, data and strategic analysis on
directories, small-business advertising, online local media, vertical
market advertising and mobile advertising. As the premier analyst
firm covering the directory publishing community and the emerging
local search marketplace, The Kelsey Group provides advisory services
(The Kelsey Report®, Interactive Local Media and Marketplaces),
publishing (Global Yellow Pages™), consulting (more than
400 individual assignments) and conferences (73 events). For more
information about The Kelsey Group, visit www.kelseygroup.com.
Contact:
Eileen Pacheco
781/556-1026
eileen@tango-group.com
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