Mobile users around the world are putting off buying new phone handsets while also changing
their current spending habits, due to the global economic crisis according to the 'Mobile Attitudes' poll carried out by
GetJar, mobile
applications portal.
The poll revealed that 78 percent of
respondents from a worldwide audience are delaying plans to upgrade or
buy a new mobile phone as a result of the current economic climate.
Similarly, 76 percent of mobile phone users are immediately planning to
reduce the amount they spend on phone usage.
When asked whether they
had reduced spending on mobile phones in the last 12 months, more than
50 percent of respondents had not reduced their spending at all, or by
as little as 10 percent, during that period. For those people who had
reduced their spending, the economy was the reason given by just over
one third of respondents, while 20 percent changed their usage habits
to lower expenses, and a further 28 percent had switched to using free
applications to avoid charges.
Current spending habits
- GetJar
also asked its users to reveal which mobile services they spend most
money on each month. - 35 percent said SMS accounted for the greatest
proportion of their mobile phone bill; - 18.5 percent said it was voice
services; - Just under 17 percent identified data services.
- Premium
services accounted for the largest part of the monthly mobile spend for
12 percent of the survey participants.
What we are seeing is a
quite understandable reaction to the economic news that has dominated
headlines all around the world," commented Ilja Laurs, founder and CEO
of GetJar. "It will be interesting to see how these intentions are
played out in reality over the coming months -- whether they are based
on short-term concerns that will fade quite quickly, or whether we will
see long-lasting changes in consumer behavior."
The survey also
examined consumer experiences in relation to roaming charges, data
costs, and who actually pays mobile phone bills around the world --
subscribers themselves, their parents, or their employers. The poll
results and associated graphics can be found on GetJar's Mobile
Attitudes blog: http://www.mobileattitudes.org/.
About GetJar
Founded
in 2004, GetJar ( www.getjar.com / wap.getjar.com) is the world's most
popular mobile application distribution and developer community, with
over 200,000 registered developer and beta-tester accounts. GetJar
operates a groundbreaking business model in which all industry groups
from consumers and developers to publishers and advertisers are
connected in an interactive environment, which also gives users an
active role in product development. With over 300 million downloads
from the site in just two years, and currently averaging over 16
million downloads per month, GetJar sits at the heart of the mobile
development world, with visitors to the site coming from 135 countries.
GetJar is based in the UK and Lithuania.