Mobile Groove

Retailers: watch those iOS owners! Why?  Because they are the people most likely to purchase something on their device, more so than Android, Blackberry or Windows owners.  This insight comes courtesy of Forrester Research and a study it did with 50,000 mobile owners.  Forrester also found that iOS owners were more likely to use their phone to research products (86 percent) compared to the other platforms.

We’ve known for a while that iOS owners make up a bleeding-edge customer segment, and this only confirms our hunch.  Retailers need to pay close attention to analytics and monitor the activity from iOS platforms across their mobile properties.  Watch where these users are browsing, what they are searching for, what activities they conduct and then move in to optimize them.  It’s the simplest way to maximize your ROI.

SOURCE: Forrester

Health information at their fingertips

Manhattan Research brings us some great news for the mobile health industry.  Based on survey projections, the number of adults in the U.S. who used their mobile phones for health information and tools increased to 75 million in 2012 (up from 61 million in 2011).  When it comes to tablet owners, the number of people who used it to access health information doubled from 2011 (29 million in 2012).

Additional information shows that 60 percent of those with three screens (online, mobile and tablet) are using all three for their health information.  Immediacy, privacy, and ease of use are driving this behavior, and there are plenty of opportunities for start-ups to claim their turf in this space.

SOURCE: Manhattan Research

18-34 year old shoppers aren’t afraid to buy on mobile

The absolute number of mobile owners in the U.S. that report making a purchase is about 28 percent,  but there are marked differences between age groups. Research firm eConsultancy reports that 42 percent  of 18-34 year olds have made a purchase on their mobile phone.  This is double the number of 35-54 year olds (21 percent) and three times as many in the 55+ age bracket.  No matter the size of the business, retailers can’t ignore people’s growing comfort with the idea of purchasing products, services and other stuff directly from their mobile device.

SOURCE: eConsultancy