According to two surveys of US mobile phone users that were conducted by ABI Research, users’ preferences and choices when using their mobile phones for shopping have remained largely unchanged between late 2007 and late 2008. As a matter of fact, transaction security was cited by 71% of respondents as a major concern preventing wider uptake.
On a more positive note more than half of all the respondents have purchased at least one ringtone, suggesting that low-value transactions are perceived as less threatening to consumers. Respondents also showed some willingness to have mobile purchases added to their mobile phone bill.
In the same survey, ABI asked user how they feel about SMS marketing. As expected, they hate it, although some indicated that they were open to inducements such as free content aimed at converting a message to a sale.
The surveys, each of which sampled more than thousand mobile phone users in the United States aged 14-59 and across a wide range of demographic profiles, were conducted in November 2007 and December 2008…
More information about ABI’s research brief titled “US Mobile Phone Purchase Trends” is available from their website.