Mobile Shoppers Use Smartphones in Top Cities and Retail Stores

“Mobile Shoppers,” report from the IAB shows how mobile shoppers use their smartphones and in what cities where mobile shopping is most prevalent.

Some of the other findings explored in this report include:

  • Mobile shoppers are younger and have higher incomes than the average mobile user.
  • Ten percent of U.S. mobile users use their mobiles for comparing prices.
  • Almost 20 percent of U.S. mobile users use their phones to text or call family or friends about a product while in a store.
While in the retail store mobile shoppers text/call family/friends, photograph item, set photos, scanned product barcode,  found store, compared prices, searched for coupons deal, researched product and checked availability.

When it comes to being adept, able and prone to shop on mobile devices, “Space City” consumers nabbed Houston the highest spot on the list, followed by New York and Atlanta. Perhaps surprising to those who think of San Francisco as the hub of technology on-the-go, the Bay Area did not break into the top 10, landing instead at 11th place in the rankings.

The top “2011 IAB U.S. Mobile Shopping Savvy Cities Index” are:

  1. Houston
  2. New York
  3. Atlanta
  4. Los Angeles
  5. Dallas/Ft. Worth
  6. Tampa/St. Petersburg
  7. Chicago
  8. Philadelphia
  1. Washington, D.C.
  2. Seattle/Tacoma
  3. San Francisco/Bay Area
  4. Boston
  5. Detroit
  6. Minneapolis/St. Paul
  7. Phoenix

JiWire's mobile shopping study showed some interesting facts for shopping from mobile devices and tablet purchases. Men and tablet owners are the most frequent mobile shoppers.