Location-based services are going to be increasingly important during the festive season, with Wi-Fi hotspots becoming vital, according to new Us and UK research from JiWire.
The location-based mobile media company has released its latest Mobile Audience Insights Report, revealing that the mobile audience will be increasingly seeking location media this holiday season.
The report, which examines Wi-Fi trends, mobile device usage and adoption in location media and mobile apps, found that nearly 90 percent of people are likely to use location-based services in the next several weeks for holiday planning and activities.
Finding a Store Location is Most Valuable, Especially During Holidays
When searching for local content, 61 percent say that finding store locations is the most valuable feature of location-based media. Additional key findings around location trends include:
o 89 percent are likely to use location-based apps and services during the holiday shopping season
o 36 percent plan to find product reviews
o 33 percent plan to discover current inventory at nearby stores
o 26 percent plan to connect with social networks through location-based features
o 62 percent have used “find a store location” features within an advertisement
o On average, 30 percent are willing to travel more than five miles to redeem a mobile coupon
o 21 percent have redeemed mobile coupons in the past 90 days
o 49 percent of the On-The-Go Audience is open to checking-in on mobile apps, with 29 percent looking for deals and 17 percent simply wanting to share location
The data shows that mobile users are willing to travel more than five miles to redeem mobile promotions, especially for entertainment, retail or restaurants. This fact demonstrates that marketers can attract more customers by extending the range of their location campaigns beyond the basic storefront check-in to include the entire city.
“It’s becoming clear that there is a huge opportunity with location, well beyond the check-in,” said David Staas, senior vice president of marketing at JiWire. “Consumers are demanding a wealth of location information that spreads across branding, product detail and discounts, allowing brands to build bigger campaign strategies. This is great news as we head into 2011 – unlocking big brand budgets and even more opportunity in location-based media.”
Business Travellers Must Have Wi-Fi and Mobile Apps
The proliferation of Wi-Fi and the impressive growth of mobile apps have been driven by the demands of mobile consumers, especially by the business traveller. Their need to stay connected while out of the office leads 88 percent to actively seek Wi-Fi while travelling. Additionally, 68 percent consider mobile apps very important in making their lives easier while on the go, with more than 50 percent regularly using apps in public Wi-Fi locations. The most popular mobile apps, most of which are location-based, include travel, weather, news and social networking – The Weather Channel and Facebook apps topped the chart.
Android Gains Market Share on Apple
Accounting for nearly 7 percent of mobile ad requests, Android continues to grow. Three new Android phones launched in the top 10 mobile devices in Q3, shifting market share from Apple but also changing the position of other devices on the market. While Android OS has seen 3.3 percent growth this quarter, the only device that has remained a top mobile device is the Motorola Droid, rising as the fourth most popular device. The iPad’s market share increased 16.3 percent this quarter, while the iPhone and iPod declined.
In the U.K., Android devices are growing much faster, with 12.8 percent market share with devices such as the HTC Desire, Wildfire, Magic and Hero. Apple still holds the top three spots with 82.1 percent of the market share. Mobile device connections make up 18.2 percent of the total connections. JiWire recently launched its presence in Europe with an office in the U.K. and a new partnership with British Telecom, expanding its Wi-Fi media channel.
Widespread Wi-Fi Growth – SF and NYC No Longer Top U.S. Markets
Wi-Fi usage in the U.S. continues to grow, with an 18.4 percent increase in Q3 alone, as well as continued increase in the number of hotspots. Cafés saw impressive growth of free venues with a 36.9 percent increase as stores, such as Starbucks, switched from paid to free Wi-Fi. Also in the U.S., Brooklyn and the Bronx, which each increased more than 100 percent, took over the first and second spots as the top Wi-Fi usage cities. This sent New York City and San Francisco to third and fourth place. This change is due to Comcast Xfinity increasing its Wi-Fi network on the East Coast, as well as a general increase in Wi-Fi enabled mobile devices.
Source: www.JiWire.com