Mobile driving purchase decisions, but not buys [REPORT]

Mobile is now dominating the consumer purchase decision process, yet nearly two-thirds of mobile-driven purchases happen offline, according to the 3rd Annual U.S. Mobile Path-to-Purchase Study findings released by xAd and Telmetrics.

Mobile has now eclipsed desktop as a research tool with consumers spending more time on their mobile devices than ever. In fact, mobile devices account for up to 64 percent of time spent online and 42 percent of mobile users consider mobile the most important resource in their purchase process. While more than one-third of mobile shoppers turn to mobile exclusively, offline activity plays a big role in consumers’ purchase process as more than half (52 percent) reported visiting a physical store and 64 percent completed their purchase offline. Results of the 2014 study were compiled by Nielsen from an online survey and on-device behavioral data from 6,000 U.S. smartphone and tablet users focused on the Automotive, Entertainment, Restaurant and Telecom categories.

“As mobile adoption increases, we see consumers turning to mobile as a necessary part of their purchase decisions,” said Monica Ho, SVP of marketing, xAd. “The impact of this increased mobile usage is significant and it isn’t limited to on-device activity. With mobile consumers looking to make decisions quickly and locally, mobile is also serving as a tool to drive in-store activity.”

Overall, mobile users convert in high numbers, with two out of three ultimately making a purchase and an additional 16 percent planning a purchase in the near future. The purchase rate is even higher (80 percent) among those looking to make Restaurant transactions. With mobile now essential to most consumers’ lives, at-home usage is also growing. Half of smartphone mobile shoppers are engaging with their device at home, up 66 percent since 2013, signaling more ubiquitous use of mobile and increased cannibalization of PC use.

“The truly pervasive nature of mobile is reinforcing the opportunity for advertisers to pursue mobile’s ready to buy audience and clearer performance metrics,” said Bill Dinan, president of Telmetrics. “Capturing consumer engagement points throughout the mobile path to purchase is essential to optimizing mobile ad programs to reach consumers when they are most open to options for fulfilling their purchase needs.”

More Opportunity to Influence Mobile Users But Make it Quick

Most mobile activity is happening at the beginning of the purchase cycle when users are more open to influence. In fact, only 20 percent of mobile users said they knew exactly what they were looking for, down from 34 percent in 2013. However, mobile consumers find what they need and make decisions quickly – 65 percent complete their purchase within the day. For Restaurant and Entertainment transactions, the initial research-to-purchase cycle is even faster with 64 and 51 percent, respectively, looking to complete their purchase within the hour.

Location Lookups A Mobile Mainstay Leading to More Focus on Contact Info

Proximity matters as more than half (52 percent) of mobile consumers want a location within 5 miles and more than 10 percent of Auto and Telecom shoppers expect locations within walking distance. Location lookups and price are still the heaviest purchase-related activities. Consumers also cited reviews and clear contact info/phone numbers as the most important mobile features, and interest in each grew 75 and 55 percent, respectively, from 2013 to 2014. When it comes to contacting a business, up to 53 percent of mobile shoppers make a call. As another sign of the importance of location, local phone numbers are preferred 3 to 1 compared to toll free numbers.

To download report CLICK HERE.