49.2% Will Purchase Smartphone, Says Kelsey Group

By Reporter Wireless and Mobile News on November 4, 2008 11:22 AM

The "Mobile Market View," a consumer study of U.S. mobile phone users conducted by The Kelsey Group with research partner ConStat, reveals that 18.9 percent of mobile consumers now use a smartphone. Among those surveyed, 49.2 percent plan to purchase an advanced mobile device within the next two years.

Corresponding with the rapid consumer adoption of smartphones is a marked increase in the level of mobile search activity. According to the Mobile Market View study, mobile consumers performed the following activities using their mobile devices during the past six months:

Downloaded or looked at maps or directions: 17.6 percent, up from 10.8 percent in 2007
Searched the Internet for products or services in their local area: 15.6 percent, up from 9.8 percent in 2007
Searched the Internet for products or services outside their local area: 14.3 percent, up from 6.4 percent in 2007
Obtained information about movies or other entertainment: 13.7 percent, up from 8.2 percent in 2007
Connected with a social network, such as MySpace or Facebook: 9.6 percent, up from 3.4 percent in 2007

Study Confirms Kelsey Group Mobile Forecast
Findings from Mobile Market View indicate a growth rate of mobile Internet users that is in line with The Kelsey Group's U.S. Mobile Advertising Forecast: 2007-2012 (September 2007), which projected mobile Internet users would grow at a compound annual growth rate of 19 percent through 2012. According to the latest Mobile Market View findings, the percentage of mobile users who access the Internet from their mobile devices increased from 32.4 percent in 2007 to 38.9 percent in 2008, an annual growth rate of 20 percent.

The future of mobile local search and advertising will be among the topics explored at The Kelsey Group's upcoming "Interactive Local Media 2008" (ILM:08) conference, Nov. 19-21, 2008, in Santa Clara, California. ILM:08 is The Kelsey Group's annual conference devoted to digital media with a local focus. For more information, visit www.kelseygroup.com/ILM2008.