Myxer survey reveals habits of mobile shoppers

It's convenient, easy on the pocket, and "cool". These are the top reasons why people shop from their mobile phones, according to a new study from Myxer.

by Helen Leggatt

Mobile phones aren't being used solely to help make shopping decisions, things are moving on apace. Nowadays consumers are using their devices throughout the entire purchase process.
Mobile entertainment content firm Myxer surveyed 2,400 mobile users for its Q2 BoomBox Report on mCommerce and found that over half (53%) had made a purchase with their mobile device.
Sixteen percent had made 10 purchases or more with their phone in a one month period and almost 1 in 5 had made between two and five purchases in a month.
Convenience was cited by users as the top reason (37%) for using their phones to shop, followed by price (24%), and the "cool" factor (22%).
"Everyone believes that mobile commerce is becoming more commonplace but what is interesting about these numbers was how many different purchases consumers are making per month as well as from different vendors," said Jeff Sass, chief evangelist at Myxer.
"Just as we are getting more comfortable using mobile devices for all different parts of our lives, now shopping is becoming a part of this, too," he added.
So, what are people buying with their mobile devices and how much are they spending? Myxer's survey (.pdf) reveals:
- The most popular purchase among respondents was music (68%).
- Second to music, 5% purchased physical items to be delivered. The same number purchased "other digital content".
- Few respondents used their mobile to purchase event tickets (2%) or ebooks (1%).
- Mobile shoppers are beginning to up the amount they spend per item online. While most (58%) spend up to $10 per purchase, 16% had spent between $11 and $20 on average per purchase and 26% averaged $20+.
- Charging purchases to a mobile bill is the preferred payment choice across all age groups (31%), while 18% prefer to pay on their phone by credit card.